Three-day polio drive in capital from July 10

Medical officers or senior health professionals to supervise each of 26 zones

ISLAMABAD: A city-wide polio drive will be launched in the capital from July 10.

This was disclosed by Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation (IMC) and Capital Development Authority (CDA) officials at a training for polio workers, zonal supervisors and area in-charges.

IMC Chief Officer and CDA Member Planning and Design Asad Mehboob Kiyani told staff that persistent and dedicated efforts were required to maintain Islamabad’s status of a polio-free-city.  He added that in this regard, their training was quite essential in curbing polio in the city.

“All available resources would be utilised to make upcoming polio eradication campaign and routine immunisation a success,” Kiyani said.

Kiyani was told that the polio drive in the city would commence from July 10 and would last until July 13.

Islamabad has been divided into 26 zones for the upcoming campaign. Each zone will be headed by a medical officer or a senior health professional from Health Services department.

Moreover, 503 mobile teams have been constituted which would go house-to-house. Apart from them, 93 fixed teams and 44 transit teams have been set up which would vaccinate children at various bus stands and at major roundabouts, shopping malls and medical centres.

Earlier during Ramazan, Kiyani was told that an effective polio campaign was conducted in high-risk zones.

The campaign was assessed by WHO by taking four LQAS samples, one from each zone, and all the samples had passed in the very high band.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 5^th, 2017.