Preventive measures: Anti-polio drive in Quetta tomorrow

Nine out 10 samples tested negative in recent survey

QUETTA: A three-day anti-polio campaign will begin in Quetta on September 17, expanding to the rest of the province on September 18, Chief Coordinator Emergency Operation Centre Balochistan Syed Faisal Ahmed said while addressing a press conference on Friday.

Dr Attaur Rehman, Anwarul Haq Haqani, Abdul Raheem Rahimi, Qari Abdul Rasheed and other health officials were also present.

Ahmed informed the media that in the recent survey conducted in Quetta where 10 samples were collected from different sewerage sites of Quetta nine tested negative, which showed that the anti-polio campaigns were rendering positive results in the province. However, he said that more efforts were needed to eliminate the virus.



During the conference, Dr Attaur Rehman said that more than 2.4 million children below the age of five would be administrated anti-polio drops and 9,489 teams will take part in the drive.

“We have constituted 8,177 mobile teams and 867 fixed teams that will be installed in all the exit and entry points to administrate polio drops,” Rehman said.

He added that four cases of polio have been reported in Pakistan in 2017 while one case was reported in the Pak-Afghan border city of Chaman. “Keeping in mind the mass movement of Afghan citizens inside Pakistan, we have decided to monitor border towns,” Rehman said.



Appealing to parents to get their children vaccinated, Rehman said parents should not take serious negative propaganda against polio drops and take part in the drive to stem-out the disease from the province.

Showing satisfaction over recent environmental samples from 10 sewerage sites in Quetta where nine have come back negative, he said, “One report of Jattak Stop is yet to come…but despite all these efforts still we need to do more to halt notorious polio virus that is paralysing our children,” Dr Faisal added.