Nationwide anti-polio drive targets 40m children

Around 285,000 workers to take part in campaign starting today

ISLAMABAD:

A five-day national polio immunisation drive will start from Monday (today) to vaccinate over 40 million children under the age of five across the country.

A supplementary dose of Vitamin A drops will also be administered to children aged 6 to 59 months during the campaign to help build general immunity among susceptible children to protect them from polio and other diseases.

According to the Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme, around 285,000 polio frontline workers will visit parents and caregivers at their doorsteps, adhering to strict coronavirus precautionary measures and protocols while vaccinating children.

In a statement, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Dr Faisal Sultan said: “The government is committed to achieving the goal of a polio-free Pakistan which requires the full support of the nation, especially from communities, the parents and caregivers of children.”

Pakistan is one of the two polio-endemic countries in the world along with its neighbour Afghanistan.

In Punjab, as many as 48,000 polio teams have been formed, who would be provided proper security cover during the campaign.

According to a spokesman of the Punjab Health Department, more than 20 million children will be vaccinated throughout the province during the campaign.

He said polio workers have been properly trained to follow coronavirus related standard operating procedures (SOPs), conveyed by the World Health Organization.

In Sindh, nine million children will be administered polio drops province-wide.

According to the Emergency Operation Center for Polio – Sindh, Vitamin A drops will also be administered to the children during the drive.

In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, over 29,000 teams have been constituted that will ensure administering the anti-polio vaccine to each and every child.

According to the Emergency Operation Centre, K-P, more than seven million children up to five years of age will be administered anti-polio drops.

Polio teams will also be available at bus stops, railway stations, Afghan refugee camps and public places for administering anti-polio drops.

Tight security measures have been taken for the safety of polio teams.