May 15: A three-day polio immunisation programme for children under five will begin in Hailakandi this Sunday as part of a follow-up campaign in states that are still plagued by the disease.

The Hailakandi leg of the immunisation programme will be under the National Rural Health Mission.

Joint director of health services Jyotsnamoy Paul said the target for this year in the district was to immunise 1,06,137 children below five years of age. As many as 552 common booths and 16 institutional booths will be set up for the programme.

On the first day, children will be administered polio drops in the booths. In the next two days, health workers will be engaged in a door-to-door campaign.

Altogether 2,208 workers and 117 supervisors have been engaged for the programme.

Paul said anganwadi workers, Accredited Social Health Activist and members of voluntary organisations would be roped in for the immunisation drive. He added that frequent loadshedding is a hindrance in maintaining the cold chain, which is the backbone of the polio eradication campaign.

The cold chain is a series of relay points that keeps the vaccine cold and potent as it travels from manufacturer to child. Each link in the chain, usually a central warehouse or health clinic, is equipped with freezers.

A health department official said awareness is the keyword to eradicate polio. Meetings are being held in the minority dominated areas, the official added. Superstition among minorities regarding immunisation keeps them away from such programmes.

A meeting was held under the presidentship of deputy commissioner Sankar Prasad Kakati Bora to give final shape to the blueprint for conducting the drive. Bora, who is also the chairman of the district health society, has sought the cooperation of all sections of people for covering every child in the district below five years.

The medical officer of the World Health Organisation, A.S Bandapadhyay, said the results of 17 stool samples sent for testing in 2006 from Hailakandi were negative. Till April this year, six stool samples have been sent and the results are being awaited, he informed.

Last year, two cases of polio were reported from south Assam.