Abbottabad declared polio-free district

ABBOTTABAD: Abbottabad has been declared as a polio-free district after no case of the crippling disease was recorded in the area since 2001.

In this regard, the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) held a ceremony on Thursday to honour vaccinators who performed extraordinarily during anti-polio drives in Abbottabad during 2016.

However, the district continued to remain polio-free.

On Thursday, Abbottabad Deputy Commissioner Orangzeb Haider said that the status had been achieved by hard work of the district health department and polio workers.

Speaking at Jalal Baba Auditorium, K-P EPI Director Dr Hameed Afridi said there were 3,001 EPI workers operating in K-P, while the provincial government was hiring more people.

EPI Provincial Coordinator Akbar Khan said that Abbottabad was a role model in anti-polio drives in the province and thanked district administration, police and other departments for their cooperation during the anti-polio drives.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 14^th, 2017.