Five-day campaign concludes in Multan

Teams vaccinate 40% of targeted children on day one

MULTAN: The five-day polio eradication campaign concluded in Multan on Saturday. Thousands of children less than five years of age were administered polio vaccine in eight districts.

Punjab’s Emergency Operation Coordinator Munir Ahmed said the teams had vaccinated nearly 40% of the targeted children on the first day of the campaign, while the rest were vaccinated in the remaining days of the campaign.

He added, “Multan has special significance in the fight against polio due to high risk mobile population, which is in addition to 847,000 children in the district that frequently travels to Multan.”

He said a recent polio case from Lodhran and persistent positive environmental samples were a cause for concern.

“Positive samples in Rawalpindi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan and DG Khan and Lodhran highlighted the need to reach out to all children,” he maintained.

On the other hand Punjab Minister for Primary and Secondary Healthcare Khawaja Imran Nazir said, “All children under five years were vaccinated in DG Khan, Lahore, Multan, Muzaffargarh, Rajanpur, Rawalpindi, Rahim Yar Khan and Sheikhupura.”

He reiterated that the five-day drive was part of government efforts to provide protection to the children.

Primary and Secondary Healthcare Secretary Ali Jan Khan also urged parents to vaccinate their children during the polio campaign.

Earlier in 2016, a four-month child from Lodhran was infected with polio virus. So far, Pakistan has reported seven polio cases, while 20 polio cases were reported last year.

Globally, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria are the three countries still having polio cases.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 24^th, 2017.