Polio campaign to target Montessori students

KARACHI: The government is working on a plan to ensure that children seeking admission to Montessoris are vaccinated for polio.

A three-day polio campaign kicked off on Monday at the Sobhraj Maternity Hospital. An estimated 6.5 million children will be targeted as part of the National Emergency Polio Plan. A monitoring cell of the five chief ministers and health secretaries will come up with a strategy.

On the two recently reported polio cases in Sanghar and Tando Allahyar, health secretary Hashim Raza Zaidi said that their health EDOs have been asked to submit a report. About 20,000 volunteers will also help with door-to-door vaccinations.

Most of the 13 cases reported countrywide so far this year were from Fata and 127 cases were reported in 2010.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 8^th, 2011.