Vaccination: Polio campaign begins in Lahore

Syed said if a team did not visit an area, this should be reported at helpline 0800 99000 during campaign days

LAHORE: A polio vaccination campaign started in Lahore on Monday as part of the Sub- National Immunisation Day. Advisor to Chief Minister on Health Khwaja Salman Rafique said the campaign would target around 1.7 million children below five years of age in 165 union councils across the city. Primary and Secondary Healthcare Secretary Ali Jan Khan said 4,319 teams were on vaccination duty. These included 3,825 mobile teams, 167 transit and 327 stationery teams, he said. “Efforts are being made to map and register those arriving in the city from polio endemic areas,” Health Services Director General Mukhtar Hussen Syed said. He said parents might also take their children to vaccination centres where staff was available to vaccinate them against nine preventable diseases. He said if a team did not visit an area, this should be reported at helpline 0800 99000 during campaign days.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 6^th, 2016.