Hyderabad, Oct 12 : Telangana health authorities on Sunday launched a special Pulse Polio vaccination drive across six districts, including Hyderabad, as part of a nationwide campaign to prevent the re-emergence of the disease.

Children under five are being administered oral polio drops during the drive, which will continue till October 15.

The drive began on Sunday morning in the Hyderabad, Rangareddy, Medchal Malkajgiri, Sangareddy, Hanamkonda, and Warangal districts.

The Health Department has urged parents to ensure that every child, from newborns to five years old, is administered the vaccine.

According to the Health Department, there are an estimated 17.56 lakh children below the age of five residing in these districts.

A total of 5,17,238 children under the age of five will receive oral polio drops across the Hyderabad district during the special drive.

According to Hyderabad District Collector Dasari Hari Chandana, 2,843 polio booths have been set up across the district. These booths opened at 7 a.m. and will remain operational till 6 p.m.

Over 11,200 health personnel will conduct door-to-door visits from October 13 to 15 to ensure full coverage.

The district administration has identified 164 high-risk areas that will receive special attention during the campaign.

A total of 9.36 lakh households in Hyderabad district are expected to be covered during the drive.

At Sangareddy district headquarters, district Collector P. Pravinya and Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC) Chairperson Nirmala Jaggareddy administered polio drops to children at the government hospital.

Six districts of Telangana are among 290 districts identified by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for the drive. It is focusing on areas with significant movement of people from countries where polio cases continue to be reported. They include Bangladesh and Pakistan, which have recorded new cases over the past three years.

A polio case was registered in India in 2011. Telangana has not registered any cases after 2007.

/IANS