Vaccination drive targets 824k kids

Missed children to be covered in catch-up phase

BAHAWALPUR:

More than 824,000 children will be administered polio vaccine drops in Bahawalpur region during a campaign scheduled to begin on Monday.

Bahawalpur Deputy Commissioner Zaheer Anwar Jappa inaugurated the anti-polio campaign in the district by administering the vaccine drops to children under five years of age at his office.

Addressing a meeting regarding the campaign, the DC emphasised the importance of administering vaccines to children to combat polio, ensuring that no child under the age of five is deprived of the polio vaccine during the campaign.

Health department officials were directed to monitor the polio teams in the field.

District Health Officer for Prevention Services Dr Khalid Chanar explained during a briefing that anti-polio teams will go house-to-house from July 1 to 3 to administer the vaccine to children under five years old.

Any children who will miss out on the polio vaccine for any reason will be vaccinated on July 4 and 5 under a catch-up activity. It was explained that 3,276 mobile teams, 195 teams at fixed spots and 136 transit teams have been formed for the campaign.

The assistant commissioners of Bahawalpur city and Saddar, district health officers, WHO representatives and relevant departments’ officials attended the briefing.