Week-long anti-polio drive kicks off in high risk areas

Rawalpindi:A week-long anti-polio campaign kicked off in high areas of the district on Monday to cover more than 617,286 children below five years of age.

Deputy Commissioner (DC) Shoaib Ali inaugurated the drive by administering anti-polio drops to children here at the Basic Health Unit, Dhala village, Adiala, tehsil Rawalpindi. Speaking on the occasion, the DC directed officials concerned to cover refusal and non-attended children on the same day.

He said no polio case had been detected in the district for a decade due to frequent drives launched by the district administration, but there was a need to remain attentive. Meanwhile, Incharge Anti-Polio Drive Chaudary Muhammad Hussain told APP that around 3,787 polio teams, 858 areas in-charges and 243 medical officers were participating in the campaign.

In addition, the children were also immunized at 320 fixed centres and 182 transit points in the district. He informed that the campaign had been launched in tehsil Rawalpindi, Gujjar Khan, Taxila, Rawalpindi city and Rawalpindi Cantonment areas declared high-risk areas.

Hussain informed that around 158,000 children had been immunized on the first day of the campaign. According to a police spokesman, over 1,100 cops have been deployed in Rawalpindi district to ensure the security of anti-polio staff performing duties during the campaign. He said staff deployed for the campaign had been issued special instructions and informed that no negligence would be tolerated.