Khyber boosts polio drive amid displacement

Authorities in Khyber district have accelerated the anti-polio campaign amid ongoing displacement from Tirah Valley's Maidan area, ensuring thousands of children previously deprived of the vaccine receive life-saving polio drops.

Deputy Commissioner Khyber Bilal Shahid said polio teams have been deployed at all five registration points established for families migrating from the region. The initiative targets vulnerable children from affected households to protect them from the crippling disease.

So far, 4,700 children have been vaccinated at these registration points, while an additional 792 children from temporarily displaced families (TDPs) now residing in Peshawar have also received the drops. Officials estimate around 13,000 children under five years old live in the Maidan area, prompting a special strategy to reach them during the movement.

Historically, Tirah Valley has recorded one of the highest rates of vaccine refusal in the region. However, the current displacement presents a critical opportunity to vaccinate previously inaccessible children.