Rain brings polio campaign in Pindi to a halt

RAWALPINDI: A special five-day anti-polio drive kicked off here on Feb 19 after polio virus detected in sewage of Rawalpindi, was suspended for one day on Thursday due to heavy rain.

The campaign  reinstated on Friday while 238,679 children were administered anti-polio drops in two days.

The children up to 10 years of age are being administrated polio drops in 16 Union Councils (UCs) of Municipal Corporation Rawalpindi (MCR) and Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) areas.

According to Chief Executive, District Health Authority, Rawalpindi Dr.

Rashid Khan, earlier, the age limit for administration of polio drops was five years which had been raised up to 10 years.

The government decided to adopt a zero-tolerance policy to administer polio vaccination to all the children, he added.

During the drive, he said the anti-polio drops were being administered to children up to 10 years in 10 UCs of the city from 3 to 11 and UC 37, while six wards of Rawalpindi Cantonment area including ward No 3, 9 and 10 which were declared high-risk areas as the environmental water samples tested positive for polio virus for last eight months.

He said, the government was striving hard to achieve 100 percent target of the campaign besides ensuring polio immunization coverage of all the targeted children so that no child could be left unattended during the campaign.

He asked the parents to ensure vaccination of the children who are vulnerable to this dangerous disease, adding, on the directive of the Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar elaborate arrangements were made in Rawalpindi to make the campaign a success.

The health officials and polio teams had been directed to make all out efforts to achieve the targets of anti polio campaign, he added.