Anti-polio drive in eight Balochistan districts starts

Around 1,612 teams will carry out field work with 1,543 mobile teams in Balochistan


Mohammad Zafar July 17, 2017
Medical officers or senior health professionals to supervise each of 26 zones. PHOTO: REUTERS

QUETTA: A three-day anti-polio campaign in eight districts of Balochistan will start from Monday during which more than 623,563 children will be administered polio drops.

This was announced by Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) Balochistan Coordinator Syed Faisal Ahmed. He said security arrangements had been in place to counter any untoward incident.

Poor routine immunization dampens polio eradication efforts

He said that during the campaign, around 1,612 teams will carried out field work with 1,543 mobile teams, adding there are 170 fixed sites and 99 transit points.

The campaign will start in Barkhan, Jafarabad, Kila Saifulah, Loralai, Musa kheel, Naseerabad, Zhob and Sheerani districts.

He assured to have foolproof security arrangements with the deployment of police and Frontier Corps personnel.

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“Earlier this month, a polio case of 18 months old child reported in Mahmoodabad tehsil of Kila Abdullah which is the first case of 2017 in Balochistan and third in Pakistan.”

The poliovirus is still present in the province and we are worried that the virus can affect other children as well.”

He said it was the responsibility of parents to cooperate with polio workers administering polio drops to their children and added that the support received and steps carried out by the Balochistan government were satisfactory.

Crippling disease: Anti-polio drive to start simultaneously in Pakistan, Afghanistan

Ahmed added that the role of parents in making the polio campaign a success was crucial, besides the role of civil society and religious clerics.

“We have got the support from the representatives of the municipal committee as well.”

He also asked the media to play its role for the success of the polio campaign.

It may be mentioned here that the anti-polio campaign will immense in Quetta, Pishin, Kila Abdulah and Mastung from July 24.

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