Tamil Nadu Launches Statewide Pulse Polio Drive, Targets Vaccination of 52.9 Lakh Children

Chennai, June 2026 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay will inaugurate the State’s annual Pulse Polio Immunisation Campaign on Sunday, reinforcing the government’s commitment to protecting children from poliomyelitis and preserving India’s polio-free status. The campaign aims to vaccinate more than 52.91 lakh children below the age of five across the State in a single day.

The Chief Minister will formally launch the programme at the Adi Dravidar Welfare Higher Secondary School campus in Palavakkam, Chennai, where eligible children will receive oral polio vaccine (OPV) drops. The initiative is part of the National Pulse Polio Programme, which seeks to ensure that every child under five years of age receives free polio vaccination to maintain immunity against the highly contagious viral disease.

To achieve universal coverage, the Tamil Nadu Health Department has established an extensive vaccination network comprising 43,051 immunisation booths across the State. These centres have been set up at government primary health centres, government hospitals, Anganwadi centres, schools, bus terminals, railway stations, airports, toll plazas, check posts, and other public locations where large numbers of people gather.

Health officials said the wide distribution of vaccination booths is intended to ensure that every eligible child can be reached, including those whose families may be travelling on the day of the campaign. Parents and guardians have been urged to take advantage of the easily accessible centres and ensure that their children receive the life-saving vaccine.

Special attention has also been given to children living in remote and difficult-to-reach areas. Mobile medical teams have been deployed to hilly regions, isolated villages, and other inaccessible locations to administer polio drops to children who may not be able to visit fixed vaccination booths.

The Health Department has stressed that every child below the age of five should receive the vaccine, regardless of whether they have already completed routine immunisation schedules or participated in previous Pulse Polio campaigns. Medical experts have reiterated that repeated doses of the oral polio vaccine are essential to maintaining immunity and preventing the possible re-emergence of the disease.

Ahead of the campaign, Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner G.S. Sameeran inspected preparations at the Palavakkam venue, reviewing arrangements made by civic authorities and health officials to ensure the smooth conduct of both the inaugural event and the statewide immunisation drive.

India was declared polio-free by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2014 after years of sustained vaccination efforts. However, health authorities continue to organise annual Pulse Polio campaigns as a preventive measure against the importation or resurgence of the virus. The Tamil Nadu government has appealed to all parents and caregivers to actively participate in the campaign and help ensure that every eligible child receives the oral polio vaccine, strengthening the State’s contribution to keeping India permanently free from polio.