In a major vaccination drive, over 54 lakh children below the age of five years were administered the polio vaccine across Andhra Pradesh.
The Pulse Polio programme is organised in line with the Centre's instructions to ensure that all children below five years are mandatorily vaccinated against polio. The drive is being organised from December 21-23 across the country.
India was declared polio-free by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in March 2014, though continued vaccination is being undertaken due to the risk of virus spread from other countries.
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Andhra Pradesh Commissioner of Medical, Health and Family Welfare Department G Veerapandian said nearly 99 lakh doses were supplied by the central government and were dispatched to all districts. Nodal officers have been appointed in all districts to supervise the programme and ensure smooth implementation, he added.
What is polio?
Polio, also known as poliomyelitis, mainly affects children under 5 years of age. It is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus that invades the nervous system and can cause total paralysis.
How is it transmitted?
As per WHO, the virus is transmitted by person-to-person spread mainly through the faecal-oral route or, less frequently, by a common vehicle (for example, contaminated water or food) and multiplies in the intestine.
Symptoms:
Fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness of the neck and pain in the limbs are some of the symptoms. One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis (usually in the legs). Among those paralysed, 5–10% die when their breathing muscles become immobilised, according to the WHO.