CM vows to guard polio drive against sabotage

Launches vaccination drive by giving drops to health minister

PESHAWAR: Terming polio eradication key to a better future, the provincial chief minister on Monday vowed that his government will not allow anyone to sabotage immunization drives against the crippling disease.

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Mahmood Khan said this while inaugurating a province-wide anti-polio drive on Monday by administering vaccine drops to a child at the Police Service Hospital in Peshawar. He was accompanied by K-P Health Minister Dr Hisham Inamullah, K-P Information Minister Shaukat Yousafzai, Prime Minister’s Focal Person on Eradication of Polio Babar Bin Atta, K-P Health Secretary Dr Farooq, K-P Health Director-General Dr Arshad, Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) Coordinator Captain (retired) Kamran Afridi, Peshawar Deputy Commissioner Ali Asghar and Peshawar District Health Officer Dr Subhani.

“Baseless propaganda against the polio vaccine by vested elements has badly affected the [polio] programme and put the health of our children at stake,” Mahmood said as he clarified that his government is determined to stamp out polio from the province using all available resources.

Sabotaging the campaign: Anti-polio message resurfaces, this time in Charsadda

To counter the negative propaganda against polio drives, CM Mahmood administered polio drops to the provincial health minister and Yousafzai’s daughter to formally kick off immunization campaign.

The chief minister further stressed the need for collective efforts to eradicate the disease, adding that polio cases stemmed from families who continue to refuse vaccination.

“With exception of few countries where polio still exists, the disease has been eradicated from the world using the same vaccine and there is nothing harmful in them that could undermine the health and well-being of our children,” he said.

He urged all stakeholders including parents, ulema, teachers, the media and all opinion leaders to undertake collective efforts to eradicate the crippling disease from the country and create a community-led demand for vaccination.

The August campaign is being carried out in Peshawar, Khyber, Bajaur, Mohmand, Charsadda, Nowshera, Mardan, Swabi, Kohat, Lakki Marwat, Bannu, Hangu, Tank, D. I Khan, Karak, Orakzai, Kurram, North Waziristan, South Waziristan, Buner, Swat, Shangla, Torghar, Haripur, Mansehra, Kohistan and Battagram districts.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 27^th, 2019.