Pics: Meryick D'Silva
Daijiworld Media Network-Mangalore(MD)
 
Mangalore, Feb 21: With an aim to prevent polio and to vaccinate all children under five years of age against the polio virus, the office of the district health and family welfare, Dakshina Kannada, will conduct the second phase of pulse polio immunization programme in the district from Sunday February 23 to February 26.
 
A press meet was organized by the District Health and Family Welfare Department on Thursday February 20 at the District Health and Family Welfare Conference Hall, near Nehru Maidan, Mangalore.

Dr H S Shivakumar, District Health and Family Welfare Officer, Dakshina Kannada, addressing the press meet, said, “Vaccination of every child below five years is mandatory and especially for those kids whose parents have migrated to Mangalore from various other places in search of jobs. Due to the sanitation facilities in some places, the polio virus will spread in no time. So, we are organizing the second phase of pulse polio immunization programme.”
 
"In Mangalore district, there are a total of 1,68,336 kids who are below the age of 5 and among these, the children of migrant workers are estimated to be around 1,781. There will be 921 vaccination centers, 14 mobile teams, and 26 transit vaccination units. A total of 3,824 vaccine providers and 191 supervisors have been assigned,” he said.
 
During the first phase of the vaccination programme, a total of 1,68,479 children were vaccinated and 964 children of migrant workers were vaccinated outside the vaccination booths.
 
Polio vaccination centres are as follows—district health and family welfare offices, taluk health center offices, public hospitals, city family welfare centers, community health centers, and primary health care centers.
 
Dr Rukmini M, district reproductive child health officer, was also present at the press conference.