SAPM launches first polio drive of 2022

ISLAMABAD:

The government on Friday launched the first Sub-National Immunisation Days (SNIDs) campaign of the year 2022, covering 70 districts across Pakistan to vaccinate over 22.4 million children under 5 years of age.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr Faisal Sultan launched the campaign. Under the campaign, polio vaccination in the provinces will start from Monday, January 24, though the inoculation was started in 6 high-risk districts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from January 17.

Inaugurating the anti-polio campaign, Dr Sultan said that the country had recorded a historic low number of cases in 2021 and “we don’t want to lose this opportunity” to finally defeat this crippling disease by remaining vigilant and persistent.

“Our aim is to ensure timely and repeated vaccination of eligible children. In 2022, the Polio programme will focus on sustaining the gains achieved in 2021. A targeted approach is being adopted to address the challenges in high-risk areas,” Dr Sultan added.

During the SNIDs campaign, more than 150,000 trained and dedicated “Sehat Muhafiz” will be engaged in the vaccination process to inoculate the targeted children at their doorstep. Dr Sutlan examined the vaccination arrangements and emphasized the importance of providing seamless services to children.