Crippling disease: Anti-polio drive in K-P starts from today

PESHAWAR:

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government has decided to launch a campaign against polio following reports of new cases in the provincial metropolis.

Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) provincial Deputy Director Dr Janbaz Afridi told The Express Tribune that all arrangements had been finalised to launch the two-day campaign in 25 union councils on Tuesday.

He said that six cases of polio had been reported in K-P this year. Of them three has been reported in Peshawar, one in Bannu and two in Torghar district. The virus was present in Larama Union Council and Shaheen Muslim Town.

Afridi blamed parents for the prevalence of the six cases for refusing to immunise their children against the crippling disease.”These cases are emerging due to baseless propaganda against the vaccines and refusal of parents to get their children vaccinated. Besides, migration of Afghan refugee families in the province is also adding to the number of cases,” he said.

Polio is a viral disease that affects brain and causes paralysis in a matter of hours. However, the disease can be controlled through immunisation with the proactive role of the political administration, he said.

“The government authorities are making all out efforts to eliminate the disease from the province,” Afridi remarked. He also appealed to the parents to get their children vaccinated.



Published in The Express Tribune, June 28^th, 2011.