Tamil Nadu Pulse Polio drive targets 52.91 lakh children; CM Vijay launches campaign in Chennai
Synopsis
Tamil Nadu's single-day Pulse Polio blitz — 52.91 lakh children, 43,051 booths, and a Chief Minister personally administering the first drops — underscores how seriously the state treats a disease it has already beaten. The drive is as much about vigilance as it is about vaccination, with global poliovirus re-emergence making India's annual immunisation ritual more relevant than ever.
Key Takeaways
Joseph Vijay launched Tamil Nadu's Pulse Polio Immunisation Campaign on 28 June at Palavakkam, Chennai .
The drive targets 52.91 lakh children below the age of five years in a single day.
A total of 43,051 vaccination booths were set up across hospitals, schools, transport hubs, and public spaces statewide.
The oral polio vaccine was administered free of cost , with the drive running until 5 pm on Sunday.
Health officials stressed that vaccination is essential for all children regardless of previous immunisation history, to protect India's polio-free status .
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Sunday, 28 June launched the state's annual Pulse Polio Immunisation Campaign by personally administering oral polio vaccine drops to children at the Adi Dravidar Welfare Higher Secondary School in Palavakkam, Chennai. The single-day drive targets 52.91 lakh children below the age of five across the state, reinforcing India's commitment to sustaining its polio-free status.
Scale of the Campaign
The Tamil Nadu Health Department has established 43,051 vaccination booths across the state to ensure wide accessibility. These booths span government hospitals, primary health centres, schools, anganwadi centres, railway stations, bus terminals, airports, toll plazas, and check posts, among other public locations. All eligible children receive the oral polio vaccine free of cost.
Why Annual Vaccination Still Matters
Polio, or poliomyelitis, is a highly infectious viral disease that primarily affects young children and can cause permanent paralysis. Although India successfully eliminated the disease, health officials stress that annual immunisation drives remain essential to prevent the virus from re-emerging. Officials reiterated that every child below five years of age should receive the oral polio vaccine irrespective of prior vaccination history — a precautionary standard followed globally in polio-free nations.
Ground-Level Mobilisation
Following Chief Minister Vijay's inauguration at the Palavakkam venue, vaccination camps commenced simultaneously across Tamil Nadu. Thousands of healthcare workers, nurses, volunteers, and government officials participated in the large-scale public health initiative. The drive ran until 5 pm on Sunday, with authorities urging parents and guardians to bring eligible children to the nearest booth before the campaign concluded.
Government Appeal to Parents
The state government appealed to parents and guardians not to miss the vaccination window, emphasising that Tamil Nadu's participation in the national Pulse Polio programme is central to preserving India's polio-free status. This comes amid broader global health concerns about poliovirus re-emergence in several countries, making sustained domestic immunity coverage a public health priority.
Point of View
US, and parts of Africa in recent years have shown how quickly immunity gaps can let the virus return. The scale of booth deployment, including at airports and toll plazas, reflects a sophisticated understanding of how mobile populations create vaccination blind spots. The real metric to watch is not how many booths were opened, but the coverage rate among migrant and urban-poor communities who historically fall through the net.
NationPress
28 Jun 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Tamil Nadu Pulse Polio Immunisation Campaign?
It is an annual single-day vaccination drive in which oral polio vaccine drops are administered free of cost to all children below five years of age across Tamil Nadu. The 2025 edition, launched on 28 June by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, targets 52.91 lakh children through 43,051 booths statewide.
Why does India still conduct Pulse Polio drives if polio has been eradicated?
India maintains annual Pulse Polio campaigns to prevent the poliovirus from re-emerging, as the disease remains active in some countries and can be reintroduced through travel or gaps in immunity. Health officials advise that every child below five receive the oral vaccine regardless of prior vaccination history.
Where was the Tamil Nadu Pulse Polio campaign launched?
Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay inaugurated the campaign at the Adi Dravidar Welfare Higher Secondary School in Palavakkam, Chennai, on 28 June, by personally administering oral polio vaccine drops to children at the venue.
How many vaccination booths were set up across Tamil Nadu?
A total of 43,051 booths were established at government hospitals, primary health centres, schools, anganwadi centres, railway stations, bus terminals, airports, toll plazas, and check posts to ensure easy access across the state.
Who is eligible for the oral polio vaccine under this campaign?
All children below five years of age are eligible, irrespective of their previous vaccination history. The vaccine is administered free of cost at all designated Pulse Polio booths.
