The AP government has directed the medical and health departments in Kurnool not to administer a particular batch of polio vaccine to the 34 lakh children in the district. Telegrams were sent to the concerned officials after the Central Government, which imported the vaccine from Indonesia and distributed it among various states, wanted to test them following reports that they were of inferior quality.

The AP Government had launched ‘mopping up operations’ in the districts of Nizamabad, Adilabad, Medak, Anantapur, Mehboobnagar and Kurnool last month after a couple of polio cases were reported in the border districts of Bellary and Nanded in Karnataka and Maharashtra respectively.

Children in Karnataka who were administered the vaccine showed symptoms of diarroehea and vomiting. The health department officials, however, said these symptoms had nothing to do with polio. The second round of mopping up operations will be conducted for three days from September 7 to 9.