Location Bandipora Health Workers Brave Snow to Take Polio Drive to Kashmir’s Last Mile Anchor:-Braving heavy snowfall and sub-zero temperatures, hundreds of health workers, ASHA and Anganwadi workers on Monday carried out a door-to-door Pulse Polio immunisation drive across remote and inaccessible areas of Kashmir to ensure no child is left without vaccination. As part of the National Pulse Polio Immunisation Day, teams trekked through snowbound villages where road connectivity remains cut off during winter. In the far-flung Gurez Valley of north Kashmir’s Bandipora district, health workers walked for hours to reach households in Gujran village, Bagtore and other hamlets close to the Line of Control. With harsh weather preventing parents from bringing children to immunisation booths, the health department adopted a door-to-door approach. “We are conducting house-to-house vaccination on the directions of the government due to heavy snowfall,” said Bashir Ahmed, a health worker from Medical Block Gurez. “Since morning, we have been moving from home to home with ASHA and Anganwadi workers to ensure every child receives polio drops.” He said some teams had to walk for nearly six hours to reach isolated areas such as Neeru Nala and Safaitaab to complete the target. Chief Medical Officer Bandipora, Dr Ishtiyaq Ahmad, said the district is on track to achieve 100 percent Pulse Polio coverage. “We have deployed 58 door-to-door teams and two mobile teams today to ensure no child is missed, especially in snowbound and remote areas,” he said. Health officials said strong community support and administrative coordination ensured the smooth conduct of the drive despite challenging conditions. Byte By Bashir health worker from Medical Block Gurez