Myanmarese refugee children included in Manipur polio drive

Imphal: Manipur on Sunday launched the three-day “National Immunisation Day, Intensified Pulse Polio Immunization programme 2024” for children between 0-5 years of age. The drive will also cover Myanmarese kids who are currently taking refuge in Kamjong district.Health and family welfare minister Sapam Ranjan Singh, who flagged off the programme at the family welfare training centre in Imphal West district, said their target was to administer the polio vaccine to 3.5 lakh children. “The immunisation programme has been organised with an objective to leave out no child, even if there is a crisis. Children of the Myanmarese refugees, who are taking shelter in Kamjong, owing to the unrest in their country will also be covered,” said Ranjan, who is himself a doctor.Kamjong chief medical officer Lucy Duidang said out of 590 Myanmarese children taking shelter in the district, 415 had already been administered the vaccine.Ranjan said that while the World Health Organisation (WHO) had declared India a polio-free country on March 27, 2014, the prevalence of the disease in the neighbouring countries had made the Centre vigilant. “A coordinated effort with all the stakeholders is important to spread the awareness of immunisation to each and every household of the state. Immunisation is a necessity for the future generation and the media has played a big role in spreading awareness about it,” he added.We also published the following articles recently