Anti-Polio drive begins in 9 districts from tomorrow

LAHORE : A special anti-polio campaign aimed to inoculate 6.3 million children up to the age of five years will begin in nine districts of Punjab from Nov 28 (tomorrow).

The drive will continue for seven days in high-risk districts of Lahore, Rawalpindi and Faisalabad while it will conclude after five days in other six districts – Sialkot, Dera Ghazi Khan, Multan, Mianwali, Bahawalpur and Rajanpur.

Provincial Health Minister Dr Akhtar Malik and Chief Secretary Abdullah Khan Sumbal presided over a meeting to review the anti-polio campaign and dengue situation in the province, at the Civil Secretariat. The administrative secretaries of various departments and officers concerned attended the meeting whereas all deputy commissioners participated via video link. Dr Akhtar Malik and Health Secretary Dr Irshad Ahmed also inaugurated the anti-polio campaign by administering vaccines to children.

Health Secretary Dr Irshad Ahmed informed the meeting that 18,422 confirmed cases of dengue and 45 deaths have been reported this year. He said that 28,308 cases were registered in the province and 168 people were arrested over violating dengue SOPs. Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) Coordinator and head of the polio programme in Punjab Khizer Afzaal on Saturday informed that 50,789 polio workers will participate in the drive to immunise 6.3 million children under the age of five against polio. This includes - 4154 area in-charges, 1018 union council and district supervisors, 41314 mobile polio team members, 1356 fixed team members and 1760 transit team members.

Punjab Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) has deployed stakeholders from all areas to facilitate preparedness and implementation of the polio campaign in priority areas. “Although Punjab is free of polio case since October 2020, which is an achievement of the programme, but recent sewage sample results from Lahore, Rawalpindi, Bahawalpur and Sialkot have been of much concern”, cautioned the head of the polio programme in Punjab. “The presence of polio virus must send an urgent message to parents to ensure that children are administered two polio drops under every immunisation drive”, underscored Khizer Afzaal. “Punjab is aware of being country’s most populous province. It is taking concrete steps to improve quality of campaigns and coverage of high-risk mobile population and coverage at transit points”, ensured the EOC coordinator. “Multiple doses of polio drops offer the best protection against the virus. Every single child needs to be vaccinated in order achieve population immunity and prevent virus circulation if we are to eradicate polio from infected zones”, the EOC coordinator underlined.