Polio vaccination: 534,840 children to be given drops

DCO says 1,037 Health Department teams had been formed to administer polio drops in a door-to-door campaign.

SIALKOT: As many as 534,840 children under five years of age will be administered polio drops in a three-day polio immunisation campaign starting in the district from February 11.

District Coordination Officer Zahid Saleem Gondal announced this at a meeting of the District Polio Immunisation Committee. He said that 1,037 Health Department teams had been formed to administer polio drops in a door-to-door campaign.

He said police, Revenue Department, Education Department, Aukaf Department officials, volunteers and Rescue 1122 wardens would accompany the teams during their visits to various areas. He said 130 fixed teams would be deputed at hospitals and Basic Health Units and 49 transit teams would work at the Railway Station and Lorry Adda. He said most countries had got rid of this problem and it was time for Pakistan to eradicate this disease. He said he would also participate in the vaccination campaign and go door-to-door. Additional District Collector Pervez Iqbal Butt, Health Executive District Officer Dr Zafar Awan, Sialkot Assistant Commissioner Mazhar Iqbal, Health District Officer Dr Javed Warraich, Pasroor AC Ilyas Cheema, Daska AC Zaheer Abbas Chattha and Sambrial AC Anwer Biryar attended the meeting.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 27^th, 2013.