Anti-polio drive launched: Over 6.4m kids to be vaccinated in KP

PESHAWAR: Inaugurating the anti-polio drive, Chief Secretary Dr Kazim Niaz on Friday said the government was making efforts to eradicate polio from the country.

He was speaking at a ceremony at the Police Services Hospital after inaugurating the November round of the anti-polio drive in the province.

Additional Secretary Health (Polio) Abdul Basit, Technical Focal Person Emergency Operation Centre Dr Imtiaz Ali Shah, Deputy DHO Dr Jahanzeb, representatives of UNICEF, WHO and Health Department were present on the occasion.

Kazim Niaz said polio eradication was the top priority of the government, adding they would not rest till the incapacitating disease was eradicated.

“Society as a whole including media and doctors have a key role in sensitising the people about the importance of vaccination and unless owned by the community the target of polio eradication will not be achieved,” he maintained.

The chief secretary urged the parents and caregivers to cooperate with the teams by getting vaccinated their children under five years of age in every round of campaign against the crippling disease.

He said that progress has been made in the war against polio, adding that last year at this point in time 73 polio cases were reported from the province while this year 22 cases have been reported which was a 70 percent decrease.

However, he went on to add that the fight would not be over till all the children were immunised and the scourge of polio was wiped out of the last endemic region.

Speaking on the occasion, Abdul Basit said the three-day anti-polio drive would be carried out in the entire province including Afghan Refugees camps while strictly adhering to the Covid-19 SOPs.

He said that repeated campaigns were conducted in the province in view of continuous virus circulation in the environment that can hit any immune compromised and unvaccinated child.

Abdul Basit appealed to parents to pay no heed to anti-polio propaganda and immunize their children against polio by allowing the teams to administer two drops of polio vaccine to their children and protect them from life-long paralysis.

He said that the total target of the campaign stood at 6.401 million for which a total of 28681 teams have been constituted out of which 25579 are mobile teams, 1868 fixed teams, 1104 transit teams while 130 roaming teams.

Abdul Basit said that strict security measures had been taken to safeguard the workers from any untoward situation and over 30000 law-enforcers will be deployed with the teams in the campaign.