Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome administers the first few drops in this year’s polio vaccination drive.

Warunya Thongrod
More than 2,000 children received polio vaccinations offered free by the Pattaya Public Health Department.
Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome was the first to administer the drops. The Nov. 14 event at the city Public Health Center on Soi Buakaow, attended by city council members and bureaucrats, was facilitated by volunteers trained through a Ministry of Public Health program.
As rewards for taking their medicine, the youngsters received prizes from the mayor for their efforts to paint dolls and coloring cartoons. The Rotary Club of Pattaya provided free sweets and desserts.
Pattaya mother Nucharin Toanonglao, 41, said she feared her child contracting polio and was grateful for the city’s efforts to eradicate the disease.
Pattaya regularly offers vaccinations against polio. Children must receive shots at 1 year, 1.5 years and 4 years old. The next vaccination will be Dec. 12.
Itthiphol said volunteers will visit 20 area schools, day care centers and health centers to administer vaccinations. For more information, call 038-429-738.