Anti-polio drive begins today

Islamabad: As part of the seven-day countrywide anti-polio campaign beginning today (Monday), 313,000 children under the age of five years will be vaccinated in Islamabad federal capital territory until Feb 25.

Islamabad has been polio-free since Sept 2008. National Coordinator for National Emergency Operations Centre for Polio Eradication Muhammad Safdar told reporters here that over 38 million children under five years of age would be given anti-polio drops during the campaign.

He said the children to be targeted in the campaign included 19.15 million in Punjab, 8.7 million in Sindh, 5.7 million in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 2.46 million in Balochistan, 1.03 million in Fata, 0.74 million in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, 0.237 million in Gilgit- Baltistan and 0.313 million in Islamabad Capital Territory.

Muhammad Safdar said two hundred and sixty thousand anti-polio workers, including one hundred and ninety one thousand mobile teams, eleven thousand nine hundred and eighty six transit teams and ten thousand two hundred seventy six fixed teams would perform their duties during the campaign.

He urged the front-line health workers to continue their hard work to help the country cross the finish line in the fight against polio. The coordinator for the National Emergency Operations Centre for Polio Eradication said the campaign would focus on all children, who were either travelling or had missed vaccination for one reason or the other.

Meanwhile, special security arrangements have been made for anti-polio workers. Also, the relevant authorities have planned strict action against workers found to be negligent in this respect.