Anti-polio drive targets vaccine-hesitant families

Following the confirmation of poliovirus in the district's sewage system, authorities have decided to launch a fresh anti-polio campaign in Rawalpindi from April 13, which will continue for seven days until April 19.

The forthcoming drive will place particular emphasis on families refusing vaccination, as the district administration has yet to achieve 100 per cent coverage of children over the past decade.

Officials note with concern that the number of vaccine-hesitant or refusing households has steadily increased with each campaign.

Whereas previously resistance was largely confined to certain Afghan families, officials report that Pashtun and Kashmiri households, as well as even highly educated families, are now among those declining polio drops. Notably, cases of refusal have also emerged in Satellite Town, a relatively affluent and well-educated area of the city.

During the campaign, health teams aim to administer polio drops to approximately one million children. In addition to door-to-door efforts, vaccination counters will be established at public and private hospitals, medical camps, railway stations, the airport, and major transport terminals across the city.

Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner Hassan Waqar Cheema has convened a key meeting next week to finalise arrangements and strategy for the campaign.

In a renewed effort to address vaccine hesitancy, community elders and mosque imams will also be mobilised to help persuade reluctant families to ensure their children are immunised.