Second phase of 4th NID today

The second phase of the fourth National Immunisation Day will be held across the country today to give two drops of polio vaccine to the children under five, reports UNB.

About two crore children will be given Oral Polio Vaccine and a high Vitamin-A capsule through 1,20,000 vaccination centres throughout the country.

Health and Family Welfare Minister Salauddin Yusuf formally inaugurated the second round of fourth NID at EPI bhaban in the city yesterday.

Addressing on the occasion, the minister called upon the people to bring their children under five years of age to the vaccination centres for administering OPV.

He said the aim of observing National Immunisation Day is to eradicate polio from the country by the year 2000. The government has taken effective measures through routine EPI activities to prevent polio, he added.

Yusuf said maternal and child health care services were given priority in the activities of both the health and family planning sectors from the national to the field levels.

Later the Health Minister gave two drop of OPV to some children who came to the EPI vaccination centre.

Presided over by Health and Family Welfare Secretary Mohammad Ali, the inaugural function was addressed, among others, by UNICEF's senior health adviser on immunisation Dr Suomi Sakai and Past President of Rotary International Paulo V C Costa.