Third polio campaign kicks off in Punjab

‘Safeguarding children joint responsibility of parents, govt’


Our Correspondent April 08, 2018
Provincial Minister for Primary and Secondary Healthcare Khawaja Imran Nazir gives a child polio drops at Mian Mir Hospital. PHOTO: NNI

LAHORE: Safeguarding children from polio is a joint responsibility shared by parents and the government, stated Provincial Minister for Primary and Secondary Healthcare Khawaja Imran Nazir on Saturday.

He made these remarks while inaugurating the polio campaign at Mian Mir Hospital, on the eve of World Health Day.

If a child has not yet been inoculated, parents should immediately take them to the nearest health facility so that they can be given polio drops. The polio vaccine is safe, therefore parents should get their children vaccinated without any fear, he stated.

The polio campaign which will begin on April 9, will continue until April 13. ‘For this purpose, we have constituted 44,000 polio teams which comprise of two members. These teams will go door-to-door in union councils, administering polio drops to children below the age of five across the province,” he elaborated.

The minister predicted that approximately 19 million children will be vaccinated in the drive. He also stated that children aged six months to 59 months will also be given vitamin A capsules to boost their immunity.

The Punjab government is committed to eradicating polio in 2018, he expressed.

Punjab Emergency Operation Coordinator Dr Munir Ahmed said that due a rise in reported cases, special efforts will be made to administer drops to those children travelling with their families from Balochistan to South Punjab. Parents can also contact the helpline if teams do not end up visiting your area, he added.

In 2016, Punjab did not report a single case of polio. However, in 2017, a child in Lodhran was left paralysed by the disease, he revealed.

Regarding the vitamin A capsules, he informed that that the compound was essential in order for the immune system to function properly. A deficiency of vitamin A increases the risk of childhood mortality, he added.

Lahore Deputy Commissioner Sumair Ahmed Syed, Lord Mayor Col (R) Mubasher Javed and CEO Health Dr Shahnaz Naseem were also present on this occassion.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 8th, 2018.

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