It was a bustling day at many health centres across UT as the Jammu and Kashmir government on Sunday conducted a pulse polio drive across the Union territory, with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah urging parents to ensure that every child aged 0-5 years receives polio drops. The CM also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to making the UT a polio-free region.
In an X post, the chief minister’s office said, “On the Pulse Polio campaign launched today (Sunday), the chief minister urged parents to take their children to receive the oral polio vaccine at the nearest booth.” Abdullah also praised the health workers and volunteers for their tireless efforts in “safeguarding the future of our children”.
Minister for Health and Medical Education, Sakeena Itoo, kick-started the pulse polio campaign from the Government Hospital at Gandhinagar here by administering polio drops to children. Itoo emphasised the critical role of routine immunisation and community participation to sustain the Union territory’s polio-free status.
Lauding the efforts of frontline health workers, ASHA and Anganwadi workers, volunteers and district health teams, Itoo said, “Going to the far-flung areas and administering two drops to children was very challenging, but our frontline staff delivered on that efficiently.” The minister said the department has set up around 11,000 booths across the UT involving 40,000 healthcare workers to administer drops to around 20 lakh children during the campaign.
More than 19 lakh children in the age group of 0 to 5 years will be administered Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) across Jammu and Kashmir on December 21 as part of the National Immunization Day (NID) 2025.The vaccination drive will be followed by intensive house-to-house immunisation on December 22 and 23 to ensure that no eligible child is left out.
Special immunisation booths, mobile teams and house visits have been put in place across all districts to cover every eligible child, while robust monitoring mechanisms have also been set up to ensure effective implementation of the campaign, Itoo said.
Today’s drive is a part of the national effort to sustain polio-free status and maintain high immunity levels across the country.
Administration at the district level had made arrangements for static immunization booths, house-to-house vaccination drives and transit site activities with special focus on high-risk areas. Jammu district has mapped 2,22,389 children aged 0–5 years for the campaign, with over 1,41,256 in rural areas and 81,133 in urban areas.Government machinery being Jammu at present, authorities had made elaborate arrangements comprising 1258 booths, 38 transit points, 2516 house-to-house teams, 5032 team members, 257 supervisors have been put in place to ensure that no child is left out during the campaign.
Follow us
