AGARTALA, Jan 28 (TIWN): With an aim to eliminate poliomyelitis (polio) in India by vaccinating all children under five years of age against polio virus, pulse polio vaccination programme has been started today.

With the initiatives to eradicate the polio, World Health Assembly has launched pulse polio immunization programme.

The Government of India began a vaccination program to eradicate poliomyelitis (polio), in the country, by vaccinating all children under the age of five years against the polio virus in the year 1978.

 In the year 1995, following the Polio Eradication Initiative of World Health Organization, India launches Pulse Polio Immunisation Programme along with Universal Immunization Program which aimed at 100 percent coverage.

 It is to be mentioned here that the last reported case of the wild polio in India were in West Bengal and Gujarat on January 13, 2011.

 However, on March 27 of 2014, WHO declared India a polio free country, since no cases of wild polio has been reported.

 Detailing about the number of total number of booths in the year 2015 in January it has been mentioned that a total of 259101 booths were set up and altogether 394475 children were vaccinated.

Besides the total numbers of booths in the month of February 2015 were 2, 54, 189 and the total number of children vaccinated were 3, 94, 124.

 On the first day vaccination will be provided to the children in the selected 4064 booths all across the State and in the following two days will be provided house to house.

 However, Health and Family Welfare Department had setup booths in all parts of the State so that no children miss the vaccine. The missing children from immunization process will be identified and ASHAs will also mobilize the children to the polio booth.