Anti-polio campaign formally launched in KP

PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on Monday formally launched a five-day anti-polio drive in the province by administering polio drops to a child.

During the drive, over 6.4 million children below the age of five years would be vaccinated against poliovirus, said an official handout.

A total of 28,681 teams have been deployed for the purpose. These include 25,579 mobile teams, 1,868 fixed teams, 1,104 transit teams and 130 roaming teams.

Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister termed the complete eradication of poliovirus from the province as one of the top priorities of his government.

He said the KP government, in collaboration with other partner organizations, was taking concrete steps under a well-devised strategy.

The chief minister expressed the hope that the province would soon be free from the poliovirus owing to the efforts of the KP government.

Talking about the five-day anti polio campaign, Mahmood Khan said that special arrangements had been made and teams trained to avoid the spread of coronavirus during the campaign.

The chief minister stated that due to Covid-19 situation, the last year polio cases had increased in the province but there had been a considerable reduction in the polio cases in the province due to the serious efforts of the provincial government.

He termed the eradication of the poliovirus as a national cause and urged all segments of the society, including ulema, political leaders, teachers, parents and media to join hands with the government efforts to eradicate poliovirus and give a safe future to our next generation.

The chief minister appealed to the parents to ensure that all their children under the age of five years got vaccinated during the campaign.