India launches Pulse Polio drivePulse Polio drive on June 28 targeting millions of children
India launched a nationwide Pulse Polio immunization campaign on June 28, 2026, administering drops to children under five years across multiple southern states to maintain the country's polio-free status.
The drive covered Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh, reaching over 20 million children through booths and house-to-house visits. This effort matters because it prevents the resurgence of wild poliovirus, which can cause permanent paralysis in children.
- India's Pulse Polio program was the world's largest immunization initiative, reaching over 170 million children annually by 2008.
- Polio was declared eradicated in Europe in 2002 and in the Americas in 1994 before India achieved its polio-free status in 2014.
- The oral polio vaccine used in India is heat-stable and requires no refrigeration, making it ideal for rural immunization drives.
