PESHAWAR: FATA Additional Chief Secretary Mohammad Azam Khan has urged all political agents and other officials working for polio eradication in the tribal belt to adopt a serious approach to rid the region of the crippling virus.
Speaking at the FATA Secretariat on Tuesday, Khan said he has directed political administrations of all the tribal agencies to ensure that every child is vaccinated against polio.
“At this critical stage, all segments of society must play their part in eliminating the virus from the country once and for all,” he added. “Tribal elders, social workers, religious scholars and khateebs of mosques must join hands,” stressed the additional chief secretary.
Khan warned political agents and other officials concerned not to adopt a careless attitude towards polio eradication. He vowed to monitor all activities carried out to eradicate the disease from the region.
The ACS also requested parents not to get swayed by negative propaganda against polio vaccines and ensure that their children are vaccinated during the campaigns organised from time to time by health authorities.
Earlier, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Governor Mehtab Ahmad Khan requested all segments of society — especially the media, schools and religious scholars — to play their role in eradicating polio.
The governor said polio is an issue of national importance which has not only put the future of children at stake, but is also a source of embarrassment for the country at the international level. The government has devised a comprehensive strategy to overcome the crippling virus in the tribal areas and K-P, he added.
On Monday, another polio case was reported from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), raising the total number of cases reported this year in the country to 237.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 12th, 2014.
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