Telangana to Vaccinate Over 40 Lakh Children in Pulse Polio Drive Starting June 28

The Telangana Health Department is launching a major National Immunization Day campaign to administer Pulse Polio vaccine drops to over 40 lakh children under the age of five, with an extended house-to-house drive scheduled for Hyderabad, Rangareddy, Medchal, and Sangareddy districts. Commencing on Sunday, June 28, 2026, the initiative aims to protect young children from polio by administering two drops of the Bivalent Oral Polio Vaccine (bOPV) orally to every eligible child.

The health department has set an exact target of vaccinating 40,97,749 children in the zero to five years age group. To ensure the smooth execution of the campaign, a total of 52,04,140 vaccine doses have already been supplied to the districts.

Following the initial booth-day activity on Sunday, healthcare workers will conduct a dedicated house-to-house campaign on June 29 and June 30 to reach any missing or left-out children. Recognizing the challenges posed by large urban populations, the health department has extended the campaign in Hyderabad, Rangareddy, Medchal, and Sangareddy districts to continue through July 1, 2026.

This year, the immunization drive is placing a special emphasis on reaching children from high-risk and vulnerable communities. These groups include beggars, nomads, migrants, brick-kiln workers, and urban slum dwellers, as well as fishing and tribal communities. Special focus will also be directed toward children residing at construction sites, those from agricultural and labor families, and families living in newly established colonies on the outskirts of cities.

To facilitate the drive, the department has set up 22,979 vaccination booths across the state. In addition to these stationary booths, the government has arranged 903 mobile teams and 903 transit points to capture transit populations.

A massive workforce has been mobilized for the campaign. The department has deployed 2,298 route supervisors to monitor the drive, alongside 8,393 Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs), 27,181 Asha workers, and 34,442 Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) who will work on the ground to administer the drops.