Only 50% of children vaccinated due to heavy rainfall

RAWALPINDI: On the first day of the five-day polio campaign in Rawalpindi only 50% of the children could be vaccinated due to the rainy weather. By evening time as the weather got better, during a review meeting at the Deputy Commissioner’s (DC) office it was decided during that the team was to achieve the remaining target by speeding up the process.



Vaccinating the children at the DC Office, the Deputy Commissioner Talat Mehmood Gondal inaugurated the five-day polio campaign with a target of vaccinating over 0.8 million children; however it started raining immediately after the inauguration due to which the 2,333 mobile teams could not start the work. It was only after the rain had stopped that work could be done in the areas within reach.



Though the number of children remained scarce in some areas, in others parents managed to bring their children to the check points for vaccinations. Around 496 people acting as area in charges and 221 UC medical officers were deployed to the polio campaign for children younger than five-years of age. Supervision of these councilors and the implemented procedures has been given to the assistant commissioner and health officers. Special security arrangements for these polio teams have also been made.



While inaugurating the polio campaign, DC said it should be considered not only a professional duty but also a matter of national responsibility to make Pakistan polio free.

He urged paying attention to children living in distant areas or traveling. Furthermore he added that parents should also be involved through the awareness campaign to make them recognise that their negligence can become a life-long suffering for children.

CEO Health Suhail Chaudhry, DHO Dr Abdul Jabbar, Chaudhry Muhammad Hussain and other related staff attended the inauguration.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 8^th, 2018.