Polio campaign starts amid virus threat

By Our Correspondent
June 03, 2024
A health worker administers polio drops to a child during a door-to-door vaccination campaign. — AFP/File
A health worker administers polio drops to a child during a door-to-door vaccination campaign. — AFP/File

LAHORE:Punjab Emergency Operations Centre has warned of polio virus resurgence as province enters polio high transmission season in June.

The warning was issued by Punjab Emergency Operations Centre Coordinator Khizer Afzaal in a statement on the eve of a special campaign starting from Monday (today) in six districts of Punjab, including Lahore, Rawalpindi, Multan, Faisalabad, Okara and Mianwali.

‘With the onset of June, we are entering into polio high transmission season which means that chances of children being affected by polio are very high. This is the season when temperatures will soar above the normal threshold, ideal for polio virus transmission. Also, Punjab is anticipating mass movement in the next three months due to school holidays and Eidul Azha, thereby increasing chances of polio virus reintroduction in Punjab’, underscored the Punjab EOC Coordinator.

Noting provincial challenges, the EOC coordinator said, movement of population from core reservoirs was one of the major causes of virus importation in Punjab.

He unveiled a plan to prevent polio virus reintroduction, saying Punjab was taking special measures to vaccinate children. This includes setting up of special vaccination camps at key transit points and shopping malls on Eidul Azha to disallow space to polio virus, he added.

Punjab is further taking concrete steps to improve coverage of high-risk mobile population during polio campaigns, Afzaal added. In Lahore, Rawalpindi and Faisalabad, the campaign will continue for seven days. While in Okara, Multan and Mianwali, the campaign will last five days.

In Rawalpindi and Okara the campaign will be held in selected union councils only. Over 40,000 polio workers and supervisors will participate in the drive to immunise 6.4 million children under the age of five against polio. This includes 3459 area in-charges, 951 union council medical officers and over 37,000 mobile polio team members. EOC has deployed experts from all areas to facilitate implementation of the campaign in priority areas.