Anti-polio campaign kicks off in Balochistan

Coordinator says 800,000 children will be administered drops

QUETTA: A five-day anti-polio campaign will kick off in Quetta, Pishin, Qilah Abdullah and Mastung districts of Balochistan on Monday (today).

“The campaign will cover 127 Union Councils of the four districts in Balochistan in which 800,000 children will be administered polio drops,” said Syed Faisal Ahmed, Coordinator of the Emergency Operation Centre.

Preparations have been completed regarding the polio vaccination campaign, which include 3,824 teams along with 3,239 mobile units, 371 transit points and 214 fixed sites, Ahmed added.



Regarding the security of the anti-polio teams that had faced fatal resistance in the past, Ahmed said that police, Balochistan Levies and Frontier Corps personnel would be deployed to ensure that no untoward incident took place.

“Polio virus is present in our environment and can target children, especially those that have been deprived of polio drops,” he said, urging the parents to cooperate with polio workers during the campaign so that their children could lead a healthy life.

He said that essential facilities provided by the Balochistan government to support the anti-polio campaign were satisfactory.

Besides ascribing priority to the role of parents in making the polio immunisation campaign a success, Ahmed said that all sections of society, especially the religious scholars and members of civil society, were important as well.

He urged all sections of society as well as the media to play their due roles in making the campaign a success.