Sri Vijayapuram, June 22: (PIB) India has remained free of wild polio cases since January 2011, and India’s unprecedented progress against polio has led to the certification of South East region, including India by WHO in March 2014 as polio-free. As per the recommendations of the India Expert Advisory Group (IEGA) one Single Polio National Immunization Day (NID) will conducted on 28thJune 2026, covering all the children in the age group of 0-5 years of age by administering two drops of bivalent Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) at Booths followed by house to house visits by the staffs in the next two days to search and vaccinate the missed out /unimmunized children with the goal is to ensure that no child will ever again suffer from the crippling effects of polio in the entire world.
Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus,Poliois mainly passed through person-to-person (i.e.,Feco-Oral) contact, and infects persons who do not have immunity against the disease. There is no cure for polio, but the disease can be prevented by immunization with the polio vaccine. Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) was developed in 1961 by Dr. Albert Sabin. OPV is a highly effective, safe and inexpensive vaccine, and has been used in all countries of the world to achieve polio eradication.
Dr. Avijit Roy, Deputy Director (Health) and State Immunization Officer, led the briefing, emphasizing the administration’s commitment to maintaining India’s polio-free status and expanding preventative healthcare for adolescent girls. This year, it is estimated that around 19343 children will receive the vaccine during the round in447booths across theseIslands. A booth in the airport, Sea-port and other transit points has also been set up.
All tourists and people living in forest areas will also be covered under this program. Our Target is to cover 100% of eligible children, and we also appeal to the general public to please bring your children tothe booth for polio drops on 28thJune 2026.
All the parents are hereby requested to visit the nearest Polio booth along with their children on 28th Jubne 2026 for administering the polio doses to the children.
Apart from NID Dr. Roy also informed that a significant milestone in adolescent health: the integration of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine into the routine immunization schedule. The HPV vaccine helps in preventing cervical cancer and is now available for girls upon reaching their 14thBirthday. Parents and guardians are encouraged to consult their nearest health centre to ensure adolescent girls receive this life-saving dose as part of their routine healthcare.
