FATA kids to get vitamin boost along with polio drops

Vaccinators told to focus on children missed due to inter-country travel

PESHAWAR: With a three-day anti-polio vaccination campaign set to begin in the tribal areas, children in the region will be getting more than just their standard two drops — vitamin supplements.

The vaccination drive in the Federally Administered Tribal Area (Fata) will be supervised by agency surgeons with security being provided by political agents, commissioners and armed forces.

The campaign will be followed up by a catch-up campaign for the children missed during the main drive.

The drive aims to vaccinate 996,981 children below the five-years-of-age. As many as 4,567 teams, comprising 4,181 mobile teams, 277 fixed teams and 109 transit teams, will operate during the campaign.

The vaccination teams will be administering vitamin A supplements to a total of 911,894 deficient children from six months to 59 months, across Fata.

Fata Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) Coordinator  Zubair Khan has advised teams to “ensure vaccination of all children under five-years-of-age with a focus on persistently missed and children on the move during anti-polio campaigns”.

“Vaccinators at transit points, especially on the border with Afghanistan, should remain vigilant and vaccinate every child under the age of five travelling to and from Pakistan,” he said.

While appreciating efforts of polio field workers Muhammad Zubair said: “it is the dedication and commitment of polio frontline workers that helped us to sustained polio-free status in Fata for the past 20 months and their determination will surely lead us to the ultimate goal of polio eradication in Fata.”

No polio case has been reported in the tribal areas for the past 20 months with the last polio case reported in the region dating back to July 27, 2016.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 9^th, 2018.