Anti-polio drive launches in KP today

PESHAWAR: More than 5.7 million children under the age of five will receive oral polio vaccine along with vitamin A drops in the upcoming round of anti-polio starting in all districts of the province today.

It was told at the review meeting at Emergency Operations Centre Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with EOC Coordinator Abid Wazir in the chair.

Technical Focal Person BMGF Dr Imtiaz Ali Shah, Team Leader UNICEF Dr Johar Khan, Team Leader WHO Dr Abdi Nasir, Provincial Team Lead N-Stop Dr Ijaz Ali Shah were also present on the occasion.

The meeting was informed that all necessary logistics and security arrangements have been made and trainings of the teams have been conducted to equip them with the required information and skills to carry out a successful campaign.

The participants were informed that a total of 21,948 teams have been constituted for the campaign out of which 19,251 are mobile teams, 1,620 fixed, 895 transit and 182 roaming teams while 5,060 area supervisors were deputed to ensure quality of the campaign.

More than 30,000 security personnel have been deployed in the province to provide security to the teams, the meeting was informed.

Speaking on the occasion, Abid Wazir said the province has made tremendous progress in the fight against polio and emphasized the need for immunisation in every round of anti-polio drive till the circulation of the virus was interrupted to save children from lifelong disability.

He said that virus was circulating in Pakistan and Afghanistan and it would not stop unless every child was vaccinated in each round.

Abid Wazir urged media to educate people about the significance of the vaccination which was the only solution to defeating the virus that was at large looking for the unvaccinated children with weak gut immunity.

He said that polio virus traveled from one place to another and even traveled from one country to another and was therefore a threat to all children.

It is pertinent to mention here that first polio case of the province was reported from Charsadda district while three others are reported from Baluchistan in 2018.