Three-day polio drive in five districts from 29th

Nearly 3.5 million children up to five years of age will be vaccinated

LAHORE: A polio vaccination campaign would be held in five districts in the province from August 29 to 31 as part of Sub-National Immunisation Day, Adviser to Chief Minister on Health Khwaja Salman Rafique said on Sunday.

He said nearly 3.5 million children up to five years of age would be vaccinated in Dera Ghazi Khan, Muzaffargarh, Rajanpur, Rahim Yar Khan and Multan. Rafique said all-out efforts are being made to rid the province of the virus. He said the provincial government had made a strategy in consultation with district government to effectively run the campaign. The preparations included micro planning, meetings with district management, supply of vaccine and mapping of population at the greater risk of polio virus, he said.

Primary and Secondary Healthcare Secretary Ali Jan Khan said the National Emergency Action Plan for Polio Eradication was being implemented in its letter and spirit. “The complete ownership by district management under the leadership of DCOs is important to achieve desired results,” he said. The secretary directed the officials concerned to ensure implementation of pre-campaign activities in line with the National Emergency Plan. Health Services Director General Mukhtar Hussain Syed said the focus was on the movement of people at inter-provincial borders, particularly in areas with polio virus circulation. He said southern Punjab districts were important in this regard because of their geographical location.

Emergency Operation Centre Coordinator Munir Ahmed requested people to make sure that their children were given polio drops. He said they might also take their children to vaccination centres where vaccines for nine preventable diseases were available. He said in case polio teams did not visit an area, the residents should report this at the helpline 0800 99000 during campaign days.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 29^th, 2016.