Five-day polio drive kicks off in Pindi

719,000 children below five years of age will be covered during the drive

RAWALPINDI:

Deputy Commissioner (DC) Amir Aqiq Khan inaugurated the five-day anti-polio drive on Monday by administering drops to children under five years of age.

He directed officials concerned to cover refusal and non-attended children on the same day. He said no polio case had been detected in the district for a decade due to frequent drives launched by the district administration but there was a need to remain attentive.

The deputy commissioner said that over 719,000 children below five years of age would be covered during the drive while the security of polio workers must be ensured.

Read Anti-polio campaign begins in Bahawalpur

Sharing details of the arrangement for the campaign, District Health Authority Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr Faiza Kanwal said that 2964 polio teams, 663 area in-charges, 240 medical officers would take part in the campaign, strictly observing COVID-19 health guidelines such as the use of masks and sanitisers and maintaining a safe social distance, to ensure the protection of children from the crippling polio virus while keeping both the frontline workers and parents safe.

Security duty

The Rawalpindi police deputed 1,000 police personnel to protect 663 polio workers during five-day immunisation campaign.

According to the police spokesperson, foolproof security arrangements have been made for the safety of polio teams while the vehicles of police stations, including motorcycles, Dolphin Squad were also being used for effective patrolling around the teams.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 3^rd, 2021.