Polio drive planned for Sept, Oct and Dec

Islamabad:Anti-polio national team briefed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif here on Wednesday about the rising cases of the virus in the country and said a comprehensive vaccination campaign will be carried out in September, October and December.

The prime minister said all available resources would be used to eliminate polio in the country. He ordered the smooth availability of polio vaccine in security risk areas. "Pakistan has made significant progress against polio virus due to the hard work of front-line workers, determination of government and cooperation of partners." He, however, expressed concern that Pakistan was included in the list of two countries where polio virus exists.

Officials said nine polio cases had been reported in the country this year. They said a countrywide polio campaign would be started in September, October and December this year. Officials also highlighted the two, four and six months plan for the eradication of polio. They said the data of children who missed polio vaccination had been digitised in order to ensure their vaccination with the help of digital tracking.