PPI drive: Officials told to concentrate on rural areas

Chittoor: The annual pulse polio immunisation drive was launched here on Sunday. Administering polio drops at Tapovanam, Chittoor In-charge Mayor R Subramanyam opined that officials and the elected representatives should concentrate on slum areas and remote villages as the people there are not aware of vaccination.

Responding to the suggestions made by the In-charge Mayor, Chittoor DMHO Dr Koteswari admitted the importance of launching the Pulse Polio Immunisation programme in the rural areas.

In all, 4.06 lakh children have been administered polio drops. Over 104 mobile teams have been deployed at the bus stations, railway stations, temples and residential areas, she said. She declared that the nurses of medical department will visit the houses both in urban and rural areas for two days and administer the polio drops for those children who were not covered in the PPI. Notably, for the past 11 years, not a single polio case was registered in the district, she pointed out.

Chittoor Municipal Commissioner Suresh said that 29 PPI centres were set up in Chittoor town covering 50 divisions. He reiterated that it is the responsibility of parents to bring their children to the PPI centres to administer polio drops. Chittoor Health Officer Srinivasa Rao, 27th division corporator Indu and others were present. Chittoor MP N Sivaprasad, Chittoor MLA Satya Prabha, Zilla Parishad Chairperson Girvani and Collector Siddharth Jain took part in the PPI.