Polio Alert in Bengaluru: 11.34 Lakh Children to Be Vaccinated in 4 Days from December 21
Bengaluru: The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) has set an ambitious target of achieving 100% Pulse Polio vaccination coverage across its jurisdiction, covering 11.34 lakh children below the age of five, Chief Commissioner Maheshwar Rao announced on Thursday.
Chairing a virtual review meeting on the upcoming National Pulse Polio Programme, Maheshwar Rao directed officials of all five city corporations under GBA to ensure complete coverage during the four-day vaccination drive from December 21 to 24.
He stressed the need for aggressive public awareness campaigns and instructed officials to deploy students from nursing, medical, and paramedical colleges as volunteers to reach every child. Special focus must be placed on crowded public spaces, including bus stands, markets, railway and metro stations, malls, major parks, tourist locations, exhibitions, and slum areas, he said.
Given the presence of over 2,700 apartment complexes in the city, Maheshwar Rao asked officials to coordinate with apartment associations and ensure active participation in the vaccination campaign. He also directed that booth locations across all five corporations be made easily accessible to the public.
Vaccination Schedule and Strategy
Providing details of the rollout, Chief Health Officer Dr. S.S. Madani said Pulse Polio drops will be administered at booths on December 21, from 8 am to 5 pm, followed by door-to-door vaccination from December 22 to 24.
In addition, mobile and transit vaccination teams will be deployed in high-density areas, migrant settlements, slums, and other vulnerable locations to prevent any child from being missed.
All children from newborns up to five years of age must compulsorily receive two drops of the oral polio vaccine, which will be available at government and private hospitals, maternity centres, primary health centres, referral hospitals, and medical college hospitals.
Scale of the Drive
Across the GBA limits, vaccination will be conducted through:
- 3,391 fixed booths
- 601 transit teams
- 460 mobile teams
In total, 4,452 vaccination points will be operational. The drive will be supported by 17,808 volunteers, supervised by 881 designated supervisors.
Awareness Measures
Officials said awareness campaigns are already underway using:
- Auto-rickshaws fitted with public address systems
- Posters and banners in high-footfall areas
- Outreach activities in metro stations, malls, and cinema theatres
- School rallies and community programmes across city corporations
The meeting was attended by Additional Commissioners Lokhande Snehal Sudhakar, Naveen Kumar Raju, Daljit Kumar, along with health officers, deputy health officers, medical officers, and other senior officials.
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