President Ram Nath Kovind launched the pulse polio programme for 2019 by administering Polio drops to children on the eve of national immunization day at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.
As part of the drive to sustain polio eradication more than 17 crore children of less than 5 years of age across India would be given Polio drops.
Speaking on the occasion Health and Family Welfare Minister JP Nadda said that immunization programme has introduced several new vaccines like Rotavirus vaccine, Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine and Measles-Rubella vaccine. With the introduction of these new vaccines the immunization programme covers more diseases than ever before. He noted that strengthening the immunization programme has brought about a decline in infant mortality rate from 39 per 1000 live births in 2014 to 32 in 2017.
