Special polio campaign in seven districts begins today

LAHORE:A special polio eradication campaign dubbed as campaign response will commence on Monday (today) in seven districts of Punjab, confirmed the head of the polio programme and Punjab Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) Coordinator Khizer Afzaal on Sunday.

The districts include Multan, DG Khan, Dera Ghazi Khan, RY Khan, Faisalabad, Kasur and Okara. In Faisalabad, the campaign will continue for seven days. While in other districts the campaign will last five days.

Over 30,000 polio workers and supervisors will participate in the drive to immunise 4.5 million children under the age of five against polio. The EOC coordinator directed the districts to make polio campaign a success saying the special campaign will be helpful in blocking polio virus recirculation in Punjab.

‘Amid polio virus circulation in other provinces, Punjab has not reported any polio case since October 2020 which is an achievement of the programme. But, movement of population from core reservoirs to Punjab was one the major causes of virus importation in Punjab’, cautioned the EOC coordinator.

The Punjab polio programme head praised polio workers saying that programme’s health workers on the forefront continue to reach children in some of the hardest to reach areas with the singular goal to reach every last child with the polio vaccine and ensure a polio-free world for future generations. He also cautioned them against complacency as country could not afford to let polio virus return to the province.

Afzaal ensure pledged that the Punjab government through health department was ensuring the safety and security of polio workers. The EOC coordinator reiterated that multiple doses of polio drops offered the best protection against polio virus, highlighting the need to vaccinate every single child to achieve population immunity and prevent virus circulation.

‘Parents must welcome polio teams whenever they come to knock at their doors. Local communities must be reassured that immunisation is a safe and effective means of safeguarding their children against this virus. With dedication and hard work, Punjab aims to remain polio-free in 2024’, the EOC head reiterated.