Anti-polio drive kicks off

Seven-day campaign aims to vaccinate 906,000 children

RAWALPINDI:

The year’s fifth anti-polio campaign was inaugurated by the Rawalpindi commissioner in the district, where he administered polio drops to young children.

This anti-polio campaign is being conducted for seven days from July 1 to 7, 2024.

The target for the campaign is to administer polio drops to 906,000 children under the age of five. To achieve this, 192 Union Council Medical Officers (UC MOs), 677 area in-charges, and 2,834 mobile teams have been mobilized. Additionally, 269 fixed points and 125 transit points have been established.

The commissioner stated that the goal for the first day of the campaign was to vaccinate 150,000 children in Rawalpindi. He emphasised the importance of periodic anti-polio campaigns, particularly due to the identification of external viruses in Punjab that pose a danger to children. He urged parents to cooperate with polio workers to secure their children's future.

The commissioner also instructed that refusal cases and non-attended cases should be addressed on the same day to make the dream of a polio-free Pakistan a reality. He stressed that every citizen has a social responsibility to fulfil.

Deputy Commissioner Hassan Waqar Cheema, Chief Executive Officer Health Dr Ijaz Ahmad, Dr Ihsan Ghani, Coordinator of the World Health Organisation and other relevant officers were also present at the inauguration ceremony.

Security Measures

More than 1,400 police officers and officials have been deployed to ensure the security of the polio campaign. Rawalpindi police officers, along with 677 teams of polio workers, are on duty to protect them.

SSP Operations Hafiz Kamran Asghar stated that patrolling vehicles are actively patrolling the area to ensure the safety of polio workers. “The Rawalpindi police are using all resources to protect the life and property of citizens,” he said.

SSP Operations also issued instructions to the Supervisory Officers to personally monitor the security and regularly brief the security personnel.