A Correspondent
DOOMDOOMA: Although India was declared Polio free by World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2014, the re-emergence of Polio cases in Afghanistan and Pakistan and the confirmation of one such case in a hospital in Goalpara district of Assam in a two-year-old child from West Garo Hills district in Meghalaya has raised concern.
In view of this six states of India including Assam will celebrate December 8 as Half National Polio Day. The vaccination will be conducted at 909 booths and 31 transport centers in all government hospitals in 26 districts including Tinsukia.
The district information and public relations Officer (DIPRO) Bikash Sarma said that the detailed agenda was prepared at a meeting of the district health committee comprising various departments at the conference hall of the Tinsukia District commissioner’s office on Wednesday.
The meeting was chaired by Additional District Commissioner Chinmay Pathak and the target is to vaccinate 1,90,203 children aged five years or under in the district.
The district administration has urged all parents to bring their children to the polio booths to be set up at all government hospitals, Anganwadi centres, schools, public bus or railway stations on December 8.
On the next two days, December 9 and December 10, health workers will go from house to house and vaccinate the missing children. However, it is more useful to take the polio dose at the center than to take it at home, the Joint Director (Health Service), Tinsukia Dr Jayanta Bhattacharya said. All the 3,490 booth workers and 180 supervisors will be trained by December 6.
The meeting was attended by Tinsukia Municipal Board Chairman Pulak Chetia, Joint Director (Health), Tinsukia Dr Jayant Bhattacharya, District Immunization Officer Dr Nirod Kumar Bora, World Health Organization Inspector Health Officer Dr S Victoria, and personnel of education, social welfare, transport, police, labour and public relations departments.
Meanwhile, District Commissioner, Tinsukia district Swapneel Paul sought the full cooperation of the people in the polio campaign as in the past. He assured the people that those who had received the vaccine earlier would also have to receive the vaccine this time. The World Health Organization has confirmed that the vaccine has no side effects, he said.
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