In 11 states/UTs of the country, the first Sub-National Immunization Day for 2022 will take place from 19th June 2022. These states include Bengal, Chandigarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Mumbai, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal.
The polio campaign targets 3.9 crore kids under 5 years old for polio drops through booths, house-to-house, mobile and transit teams. Additionally, the Government of India has also introduced the injectable inactivated poliovirus vaccine to its routine immunization program.
The WHO certified India, along with 10 other countries in Southeast Asia, polio-free on 27th March 2014. Polio was last reported in the country on 13th January 2011 in Howrah, West Bengal.
Polio is still endemic in two countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Despite India’s “polio-free” status, wild poliovirus importation or the emergence of vaccine-derived polioviruses still pose a threat, which highlights the need to maintain a high level of population immunity and sensitive surveillance.
The first dose of the oral polio vaccine was administered in India on this day in 1995. The day March 16 is also observed as National Vaccination Day.
India is trying to protect its kids from more and more Vaccine-Preventable Diseases (VPDs) by introducing more vaccines under the Universal Immunization Program (UIP), but it’s important to ensure all vaccines reach every single child in the country. With the lessons learned and systems created under the National Polio Program, routine immunization is being strengthened to reach more than 90% immunization coverage.
WHO, UNICEF, Rotary International and other organizations have played a major role in eradicating polio and improving routine immunizations.
All parents are urged to get their children, less than 5 years of age, vaccinated against Polio.