President Pranab Mukherjee launches Pulse Polio Immunization Programme

NEW DELHI: President Pranab Mukherjee launched the Pulse Polio Immunization Programme by administering polio drops to children aged below five years at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here today, on the eve of National Immunization Day.

"Around 174 million children of less than five years age across the country will be given polio drops as part of the drive of government to sustain polio eradication from the country," a Health Ministry statement said.

Lauding the efforts of nearly 23 lakh volunteers and 1.5 lakh supervisors for eradicating polio from India, Health Minister J P Nadda said that there has been no case of wild polio since January 13, 2011.

"India was certified polio free last year and is part of the 11 countries of South-East Asia Region of WHO (along with Bangladesh, Bhutan, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Timor-Leste) which are polio free," Nadda said, while speaking on the eve of National Immunization Day.

Affirming that India is looking forward to playing a major role in implementation of "Polio endgame strategy", Nadda informed about the introduction of inactivated polio vaccine in routine immunization programme and a switch from trivalent Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) to bivalent OPV six months later in a synchronised manner globally.

Noting that the efforts to keep the country polio free are being sustained, Nadda said that being mindful of the risk of importation from other countries including the neighbourhood, immunity against polio infection is maintained through National and Sub National Polio rounds along with sustained high quality polio surveillance.

"A travel advisory has also been issued as per WHO guidelines to vaccinate all travellers who are travelling between India and eight polio-infected countries comprising Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Cameroon, Syria, Ethiopia, Somalia & Kenya," he said.

He said that an Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan (EPRP) has been put in place under which Rapid Response Teams (RRT) have been formed in all states and Union Territories to respond urgently to any importations.