Polio. A word that wreaked havoc. A word that brought to mind immense fear. A word that people have lost loved ones for. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay During the 20th century, the polio virus was endemic throughout the world. The virus paralyzes hundreds of thousands of children every year. The virus spreads from person to person through contact with the stool of an infected human or droplets from an infected person's cough or sneeze. It was a major problem. Luckily, the problem was solved with everything the world could give. In India, the government launched the Pulse Polio Initiative at the national level to eradicate poliomyelitis, better known as polio. The program was introduced in 1998, following global investments in polio elimination. The Indian initiative essentially followed a program to target children under 5 and administer polio drugs to those living in high-risk areas. They carry out this campaign every year during national and subnational vaccination campaigns. India has now been declared a polio-free country by the World Health Organization as there have been no cases of wild polio since 2011. However, this feat was not achieved overnight. No, it took India more than 10 years to get to this point. And Pulse Polio was his path. The Pulse Polio Initiative has a clear objective. 100% eradication of polio. Indian researchers have been trying to figure out how exactly to do this. Unlike developed countries, parents in underdeveloped countries are not as motivated to bring their children for routine checkups and vaccinations. It was then that a virologist from Vellore suggested the use of Pulse vaccination. Pulse vaccination essentially eradicates an outbreak by repeatedly inoculating an at-risk group until the virus or pathogen is stopped. According to Pulse Polio, they “aimed to vaccinate children through better social mobilization, plan clean-up operations in areas where the poliovirus has almost disappeared, and maintain high morale among the population.” » In a country like India, with an extremely high population, administering the vaccine represented a huge task and commitment. Pulse Polio distributed the polio vaccine in the form of oral drops called OPV (Oral Polio Vaccine). All children under 5 received it twice a year. Children under 1 year of age received IPV (inactivated polio vaccine). The government has started declaring two days a year as National Immunization Days (NIDs). In addition, subnational vaccination days were also organized in areas where the risk of poliovirus was significantly higher. Since the campaign’s conception, 17.4 million children have benefited from OPV. India aspired to reach out to all sections of society, especially those in remote areas. They didn't want any child to be forgotten in the process and risk becoming infected. In order to successfully carry out their campaign, they had to take preventive measures and contain the virus wherever there was an outbreak. This is why they have intensified surveillance everywhere. Offices and stands were set up across the country. Vaccines were ensured to be available at all times in cold rooms close enough to be taken to cabins when needed. Employers and volunteers were located everywhere and children who were not present during the vaccination were..