Pulse Polio in Hyderabad: When and Where to Get Oral Drops for Your Child

A special Pulse Polio immunization drive began on Sunday (October 12) across six districts of Telangana — Hyderabad, Rangareddy, Medchal, Sangareddy, Hanamkonda, and Warangal — as part of a nationwide campaign to prevent any resurgence of the disease.

The three-day drive, which runs from October 12 to 15, aims to ensure that every child under the age of five receives oral polio drops.

In Hyderabad district alone, health officials plan to cover 5,17,238 children below five years of age. District Collector Hari Chandana Dasari said that 2,843 polio booths have been set up across the city, operating from 7 am to 6 pm.

To ensure complete coverage, the government has deployed over 11,200 health personnel who will conduct door-to-door visits from October 13 to 15. The district administration has also identified 164 high-risk areas that will receive special attention during the campaign.

Collector Dasari urged parents to make sure their children, aged between 0 and 5 years, receive the drops at the nearest immunization booth.

Polio (Poliomyelitis) is a highly infectious viral disease caused by the poliovirus. It mainly affects young children and, in severe cases, can lead to permanent paralysis or even death.

The virus spreads through contaminated water, food, or contact with an infected person’s feces.

Symptoms include fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness in the neck, and pain in the limbs. When the virus invades the nervous system, it can cause paralysis, most often in the legs.

The disease is entirely preventable through vaccination, either with the Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) or the Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV).

In the 1980s and 1990s, India recorded thousands of polio cases every year. To combat this, the government launched the Pulse Polio Programme in 1995, aiming to vaccinate every child under the age of five.

The last case of wild poliovirus in India was reported on January 13, 2011, in Howrah, West Bengal.

After three consecutive years without a single case, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared India Polio-free in March 2014, marking one of the country’s greatest public health achievements.