Over 2.1m children vaccinated against polio in five districts

LAHORE:Polio teams continued to visit house-to-house to vaccinate children against the crippling polio disease as the special polio campaign entered the third day on Wednesday.

So far more than 2.1 million children have been vaccinated in the campaign in all the five districts. In Lahore alone, more than 0.8 million children have been vaccinated. While in Faisalabad, Multan, Sheikhupura and Mianwali, 0.6 million, 0.5 million, 0.1 million and 2,000 children vaccinated respectively.

The campaign will continue for seven days in mega districts like Lahore and Faisalabad. While in other three districts, the campaign will continue for five days. All union councils of Lahore and Faisalabad have been included in the campaign. While in rest of the districts, the campaign is being held in selected union councils.

On Wednesday, the head of the polio programme in Punjab travelled to Sheikhupura to monitor polio campaign. He visited a fixed site in Sharaqpur Khurd and met with polio teams as well as supervisors.

The EOC head also visited a nomadic settlement and checked status of vaccination. The Punjab polio programme head checked marked fingers of children to ensure that all children are vaccinated.

Speaking to the polio teams, Khizer Afzaal reiterated that workers needed to focus on high-risk mobile communities so that no child was missed. “Environmental samples in Lahore have tested positive. Considering the large-scale population movement between Lahore and Sheikhupura, the teams need to be alert and focus their energies on vaccination of children belonging to mobile communities who are vulnerable and at the same potential virus carriers”, underlined the EOC coordinator. He also called upon polio teams to stay alert on transit points.

During the visit, Khizer Afzaal checked status of vaccine stored in the cold chain equipment. He instructed the teams to avoid vaccine wastage. At the same time, the EOC head added, that children should not be under-immunised as this could make the entire vaccination exercise futile.

Nurses’ delegation greets Prof Dr Zafar: A delegation of Provincial Young Nurses Association under the headship of Vice President Khalida Tabasim Wednesday called on Post Graduate Medical Institute and Ameer Uddin Medical College Principal Prof Dr Muhammad Al-Fareed Zafar and presented him a bouquet and congratulating him on his promotion to Grade 21.

They expressed their best and good wishes from all the nursing community and prayed for his further success. MS Dr. Khalid Bin Aslam, Director PGR Dr Laila Shafiq, Dr. Nadia Arshad, Dr Abdul Aziz, Nursing Supervisor Anwar Sultana and office-bearers of YNA, LGH were also present on the occasion.

Talking to the delegation, Prof Al-Fareed Zafar said continuous hard work and education is must for further development at any position because through this path we can carry out our responsibilities in an efficient and befitting manner. He said the medical field has become very important nowadays and from the paramedics to the doctor we are all part and parcel of this system and it is our individual and collective responsibility to make it more better.

He maintained that there is no doubt that the government is trying to make the Health Sector of Punjab stronger and stronger according to its resources and we must contribute our individual contribution to it as well. Prof. Al-Fareed Zafar thanks the Nursing Association on expressing gratitude on this congratulatory meeting and said that the nursing field is the backbone of the hospitals as by serving the ailing humanity these women workers are undoubtedly earning their world and the hereafter.

He said that it is a matter of satisfaction that patients and their caregivers put a lot of trust and respect to our nursing community, so they should not only take care of the patients but also behave with good manners and play their role in reducing their illness. He also assured them of all possible cooperation for YNA and express good wishes for their success.