Every vaccinated child is a step towards polio-free future: PM's aide

KARACHI:

With classrooms turning into vaccination points and health workers going door-to-door in vulnerable neighbourhoods, the government stepped up its fight against poliovirus on Tuesday as Prime Minister's Focal Person on Polio Ayesha Raza Farooq declared that "every child vaccinated today brings Pakistan one step closer to a polio-free future."

Visiting a school in District South during the ongoing polio booster dose campaign, the PM's aide reviewed vaccination activities and met children, parents, teachers and frontline workers engaged in the drive aimed at strengthening immunity among children up to 10 years of age in selected union councils from May 12 to May 24.

Highlighting the city's unique challenges, she said the dense population and continuous movement of people increased the risk of poliovirus transmission, making booster doses essential to close immunity gaps, particularly among older children who can also carry and spread the virus.