Chennai, March 3 (IANS): The Pulse Polio immunisation camps started in 43,000 places in Tamil Nadu on Sunday.

The Tamil Nadu health department officials in a statement said that there are 57,84,000 children under the age of five who will be administered the polio vaccine.

The officials said that those children who may miss the vaccination on Sunday would be administered on Monday.

Transit booths for the immunisation programme have been set up in public places, including bus stations, railway stations, airports, checkposts and toll plazas.

The Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine is coordinating the programme. Tamil Nadu Minister of Health Ma Subramanian, while speaking to IANS said, ''Tamil Nadu is a polio free state and we have been working hard to ensure that all children under the age of five are administered the polio vaccine.”

The Minister also said that around two lakh people from both government and nongovernmental sectors are involved in the immunisation activities.

An active awareness campaign against the disease by issuing advertisements featuring popular movie and television stars has increased awareness and more parents are going for the vaccination of their children, said the minister.