Telangana Launches Pulse Polio Drive to Vaccinate 40.97 Lakh Children

The Telangana Health Department launched a massive five-day Pulse Polio immunization drive on June 27, 2026, targeting approximately 40.97 lakh children under the age of five across the state. The campaign, which runs until July 1, 2026, features extended vaccination efforts in Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy, Medchal Malkajgiri, and Sangareddy districts to ensure comprehensive coverage of the dense urban population.

Health Minister C. Damodar Raja Narasimha reviewed the arrangements on June 26, 2026, and directed officials to ensure that no eligible child is left out of the program. The Minister emphasized that the vaccination drive must reach every child through fixed booths, mobile teams, and door-to-door surveys, with a particular focus on children of migrant workers and those residing at construction sites, urban slums, and tribal areas.

According to health officials, the drive began with booth-level vaccinations on June 27 and June 28, 2026, across 22,979 booths. This is being followed by house-to-house visits on June 29 and June 30 to vaccinate children who may have been missed during the initial days. Due to the high population density in Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy, Medchal Malkajgiri, and Sangareddy, the campaign was extended by an additional day to July 1 in these specific districts.

To support the extensive immunization program, the Health Department distributed 52.04 lakh doses of the bivalent Oral Polio Vaccine (bOPV) across the districts. The fieldwork is being executed by a massive workforce, including 8,393 Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs), 27,181 Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs), and 34,442 Anganwadi workers, alongside nursing students, teachers, and volunteers.

Additionally, the department deployed 903 mobile teams and 903 transit teams to facilitate the drive. Minister Narasimha instructed officials to coordinate closely with various government departments, including Women and Child Welfare, Municipal Administration, Panchayat Raj, Education, and the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) to ensure smooth operations.

Telangana has maintained a polio-free status for nearly two decades, with the last reported case of polio in the state recorded in 2007.