Pulse Polio Drive 2026: Over 1.65 crore children to be vaccinated across Gujarat, Kerala, Karnataka, Jharkhand and Nagaland

The nationwide Pulse Polio Immunisation Programme gathered momentum on Sunday, with several states launching large-scale vaccination drives to protect children under the age of five from poliovirus. More than 1.65 crore children are expected to receive oral polio vaccine doses across Gujarat, Kerala, Karnataka, Jharkhand and Nagaland as part of the campaign.

Gujarat targets over 83 lakh children

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel launched the state's Pulse Polio campaign, which aims to immunise more than 83 lakh children below the age of five. Thousands of vaccination booths have been set up across the state, with health workers and volunteers deployed to ensure maximum coverage. The state government urged parents to bring all eligible children to nearby vaccination centres.

Kerala to vaccinate nearly 19.8 lakh children

In Kerala, Health Minister K Muraleedharan said 19,80,224 children have been identified for vaccination. The state has established 22,288 vaccination booths and deployed 46,663 trained volunteers to carry out the campaign.

Apart from regular booths at hospitals, schools, anganwadis and health centres, Kerala has also set up 539 transit booths, 283 mobile booths and nine special booths at festival venues to reach children travelling or living in remote areas. Health workers will conduct door-to-door visits on June 29 and 30 to vaccinate children who miss the scheduled immunisation.

Karnataka stresses 100% coverage

Launching the campaign in Bengaluru, Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar appealed to parents to ensure every child below five years receives the oral polio vaccine. He said India has remained polio-free through sustained immunisation efforts but warned that continued vigilance is essential to prevent the disease from re-entering the country.

The Chief Minister also praised health officials, NGOs and volunteers for supporting the campaign and called for active participation to ensure complete coverage, especially in rural and remote areas.

Jharkhand targets 61.26 lakh children

Jharkhand has launched a three-day immunisation drive covering all 24 districts, with a target of vaccinating 61.26 lakh children below five years of age. The state has established 24,507 polio booths, while health teams will conduct house-to-house visits over the next two days to vaccinate children who miss the first day of the campaign.

Officials said over 5 lakh children in Ranchi district alone are expected to receive polio drops through nearly 3,900 booths supported by around 8,000 health workers.

Nagaland to vaccinate over 1.43 lakh children

Nagaland has also joined the nationwide campaign, targeting 1,43,530 children below five years of age through more than 2,400 vaccination booths.

State Immunisation Officer Imkongtemsu Longchar said Nagaland's last polio case was reported in 1997, while India has remained polio-free since 2014 due to sustained vaccination campaigns. Health workers will carry out door-to-door visits after the booth campaign to ensure no eligible child is left out.

Health authorities across the country have urged parents and guardians to ensure every child below five years receives the oral polio vaccine, describing immunisation as the most effective protection against the highly infectious disease.