Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay will inaugurate the state's annual Pulse Polio Immunisation Campaign on Sunday, 29 June, at the Adi Dravidar Welfare Higher Secondary School campus in Palavakkam, Chennai. The launch reaffirms the state government's commitment to protecting children under five against poliomyelitis and sustaining India's polio-free status, which the World Health Organisation (WHO) certified in 2014.

Scale of the Campaign

The Tamil Nadu Health Department has set a target of vaccinating 52.91 lakh children below the age of five in a single day. To achieve this, authorities have established 43,051 vaccination booths across the state — spanning government primary health centres, hospitals, Anganwadi centres, schools, bus terminals, railway stations, toll plazas, check posts, and airports.

The sheer breadth of the network reflects the campaign's core objective: ensuring no eligible child is missed, regardless of whether families are at home or travelling on the day of the drive.

Reaching Remote and Inaccessible Areas

Special arrangements have been made for children living in hilly regions and isolated villages who may not be able to reach fixed immunisation booths. Mobile medical teams have been deployed to travel to these locations and administer the oral polio vaccine directly. The move underscores the campaign's emphasis on last-mile coverage — a critical factor in maintaining herd immunity.

What Officials Have Said

Health officials have urged parents and guardians to bring all children under five to the nearest vaccination centre, stressing that prior immunisation or earlier polio doses do not exempt a child from participating. Medical experts note that repeated doses of the oral polio vaccine are essential to sustaining immunity and preventing the re-emergence of the virus.

Ahead of the launch, Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner G.S. Sameeran inspected preparations at the Palavakkam venue on Saturday, reviewing logistical arrangements to ensure the smooth conduct of both the inaugural event and the wider statewide drive.

Why This Campaign Matters

India's polio-free certification by the WHO came after decades of sustained immunisation effort, and annual Pulse Polio rounds remain the primary defence against re-importation or resurgence of the virus. Tamil Nadu's participation in the National Pulse Polio Programme is part of a coordinated national effort in which every child under five receives free oral polio drops. Notably, global polio cases — driven largely by vaccine-derived strains in parts of Africa and Asia — continue to remind public health authorities that vigilance cannot be relaxed. With 52.91 lakh children targeted this year, Tamil Nadu's campaign is among the largest single-day immunisation exercises in the country.

The campaign's success will depend on community participation, and health authorities are counting on parents to turn out in full on Sunday.