GBA plans grand pulse polio drive from Sunday, to vaccinate 11 lakh kids
BENGALURU: The Karnataka health department has given the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) a target to vaccinate through its five corporations a total of 11,34,988 children under the National Pulse Polio Programme being organised from December 21 to 24. Dr Sirajuddin Madani, the chief health officer of the GBA, said the civic body is collaborating with Bangalore Apartment Federation (BAF) and the Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (CREDAI) to ensure that the children of construction workers in the city are not missed out. Dr Madani told The New Indian Express, Construction sites and slums are considered high-risk sites because of high chances for children missing the vaccination. There are several mega construction projects going on in the city, where hundreds of workers, mainly migrants, are employed. We have sought the help of Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India to make sure that the children of all these workers are vaccinated. Besides, we aim to cover over 2,700 apartments with the help of the BAF. We have been given the target to vaccinate 11.4 lakh children under the age of five in the city between December 21 and 24. A total of 3,391 booths will be set up across the five corporations in the city. We will cover more than 90% of the children through these booths. Dr Madani said, adding that in a first, GBA will this year set up booths at 85 metro stations for the vaccination drive. Vaccination at the booths will commence at 8am on December 21 and go on till 5pm. The door step visits will be done from December 22 to 24. On all four days, there will be special focus on the transit sites like metro stations, bus stands and at high-risk areas like construction sites and slums, he said. There will be 601 booths across metro stations, bus stands, markets, malls, parks, tourist spots and other public places. We will also deploy 460 mobile teams to make rounds in the city and check for the indelible ink on the fingers of children below five years. Those children who are missed out would be vaccinated at the transit booths and by the mobile teams, Dr Madani said. Medical and para-medical students will be used as volunteers for the pulse polio programme. In total, there will be 17,808 volunteers and 881 supervisors, Dr Madani added.
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