Thiruvananthapuram | Nearly 19.8 lakh children below the age of five will receive the oral polio vaccine across Kerala on June 28 as part of the nationwide pulse polio immunisation programme, Health Minister K Muraleedharan said on Wednesday.

The minister said 19,80,224 children had been identified for coverage under the campaign and urged parents and guardians to ensure that all eligible children receive the vaccine on the designated day.

To implement the drive, the state will set up 22,288 vaccination booths and deploy 46,663 trained volunteers, he said in a statement.

The state-level inauguration of the programme will be held at the Government Mother and Child Hospital, Thycaud, on June 28.

Vaccination booths will function at government hospitals, health centres, family health centres, urban health centres, anganwadis, schools, private hospitals and other public locations to ensure maximum coverage.

In addition to the regular booths, the Health Department will operate 539 transit booths at railway stations, bus stands and boat jetties, along with 283 mobile booths and nine special booths at festival and fair venues to reach children on the move and those in remote areas.

Children who miss vaccination on June 28 will be covered through house-to-house visits by health workers on June 29 and 30, he said.

The campaign is being carried out by the Health Department with the support of local bodies, ASHA workers, anganwadi staff, Kudumbashree members and various voluntary organisations, the statement added.