Special anti-polio drive starts today

Campaign to continue for one week in Pindi

RAWALPINDI:

In an effort to combat the spread of polio, a special vaccination campaign is set to kick off on Monday (today) in four districts of Punjab including the Rawalpindi district.

The targeted districts include Lahore, Rawalpindi, Sheikhupura, and Rajan Pur. The anti-polio drive will span a week in Lahore and Rawalpindi, while a five-day campaign is scheduled for Rajan Pur and Sheikhupura.

Rajan Pur was included in this initiative after the discovery of the polio virus in Karachi and Quetta, coupled with the movement of people between these regions. A dedicated team of 32,000 polio workers will actively participate in this drive, with 14,000 workers assigned to Lahore, 7,000 to Rawalpindi, 7,000 to Sheikhupura, and 4,000 to Rajan Pur.

Read: Polio vaccination drive to cover over 4.2m kids

Throughout the campaign, more than 4.2 million children under the age of five will receive the vaccine, encompassing 2.085 million in Lahore, over 1 million in Rawalpindi, 0.7 million in Sheikhupura, and more than 5 million in Rajan Pur.

Official sources said in preparation for the launch of the anti-polio drive, the in-charge of the Anti-Polio Programme Khizar Iqbal conducted a meeting with officials from all four districts. Participants included representatives from district health departments, chief executive officers, and other key figures.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, October 30^th, 2023.