Anti-polio drive kicks off today

Islamabad : Over the coming days, over 260,000 frontline polio workers will go door-to-door to ensure approximately 39.5 million children under the age of five receive polio vaccine. The campaign was inaugurated by the Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday during which he symbolically vaccinated the first child of the campaign.

Pakistan remains one of the last two countries in the world, alongside Afgh­anistan, where poliovirus continues to circulate actively. There is a strong national and international commitment to eradicate polio. It is a collective responsibility to ensure all children are protected and vaccination is the only and best protection against the poliovirus.

“All arrangements have been completed so that children can be immunized and stakeholders have been fully engaged to ensure that the campaign is successful. It is possible for Pakistan to eradicate polio with the support of the community; I urge all parents and caregivers to ensure their children are vaccinated,” said Dr. Rana Muhammad Safdar, Coordinator National Emergency Operations Centre.