A special polio campaign under the National Polio Immunisation drive was organised across Madurai district here on Sunday, with a target to cover 2.32 lakh children aged five and below.

Inaugurating the special camp at the Government Rajaji Hospital, Minister for Energy Resources and Law C.T.R. Nirmalkumar administered polio drops to children and inspected the logistical arrangements.

He emphasised that while intensive efforts in early 2024 helped achieve a polio-free status in India, consistent additional drives remain essential to ensure continuous protection for the younger generation.

The health department set up a comprehensive network of 1,705 booths across the district, comprising 1,243 centers in rural localities and 462 in urban sectors.

To achieve full coverage, special mobile teams were stationed at high-traffic entry points, including bus stands, railway stations, and the airport.

Further, health workers laid specific focus on reaching vulnerable pockets, ensuring children of inter-state migrant laborers, residents in brick kilns, Narikuravar settlements, and Sri Lankan Tamil refugee rehabilitation camps were not left out.

The execution of the drive, running from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., relied on a workforce of 7,412 personnel drawn from the health department, the nutritious meal department, and various non-governmental organisations, backed by a fleet of 101 monitoring vehicles.

Urging universal cooperation, the Minister appealed to parents to bring their children for the drops, regardless of prior vaccinations, to completely shield the nation from the disease.

Several top dignitaries, including Madurai North MLA A. Kallanai, Madurai South MLA M.M. Gopison, Corporation Commissioner Gaurav Kumar, GRH Dean L. Arul Sundaresh Kumar, were present during the event.