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Our Correspondent
Kohima, Jan. 19 (EMN): Nagaland on Sunday joined the rest of the country in observing National Immunisation Day, with the deputy commissioner (DC) of Kohima, Thejawelie Gregory Sote officially launching the Intensive Pulse Polio Immunisation (IPPI) drive at the Naga Hospital Authority Kohima (NHAK) on January 19.
Sote administered first polio drops to a three-year-old girl at the launch of the programme in the state capital town before other newborn babies and children were given pulse polio vaccine.
Addressing the brief programme, the DC recalled his experience when the first campaign and immunisation programme started in the 1990s and stated that the vaccination drive for eradication of polio, to this day, has gone to a great extent.
"This shows the government's serious concern for the people,” said Sote.
In the introductory note, State Immunisation Officer (SIO), directorate of Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Ritu Thurr said that the state had a target of 2, 77, 283 beneficiaries for immunisation in 2274 booths spread across the state and deputing 9096 Front Line Health Workers (FLHW) and 441 Surveillance Workers (SW) for the drive.
The officer further informed that polio booths have been set up at various public places including transport stations and terminals, streets and door-to-door immunisation.
Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio took to Twitter to request the public to ensure that children receive polio vaccine.
‘As Nagaland launches Intensive Pulse Polio Immunisation (IPPI) programme along with the rest of the country, I urge all parents who have children below 5 years to ensure that their children receive polio drops on Sunday January 19, 2020,’ Rio wrote.
The IPPI programme was launched in other districts of the state too on Sunday.