Health initiative: Anti-polio campaign starts in Balochistan today

At least three polio cases have been reported from Quetta this year.

QUETTA:

A three-day anti-polio campaign will kick-start from today (Monday) throughout Balochistan, covering all 30 districts of the violence-stricken province.

At least 2.23 million children below the age of five years will be inoculated with anti-polio vaccines and 6,095 teams, inclusive of health workers and volunteers, have been formed to carry out the drive effectively.

At least three polio cases have been reported from Quetta in the current year.

Addressing a press conference, Doctor Ghafar Lashari, the focal person of the campaign, proclaimed that polio has been eradicated from most parts of the world.

“Unfortunately, Pakistan, Nigeria and Afghanistan are among those countries where the virus has not been fully eliminated, despite strenuous efforts by the government and international donor agencies.”

Dr. Lashari informed reporters that since the previous year, as many as 198 polio cases have been reported in Pakistan, of which 73 are from Balochistan. However, this year (2012) just three cases have been reported from the provincial capital, he added.

Speaking on the occasion, Doctor Abdul Wahab of the World Health Organization (WHO) said that teachers and religious scholars should sensitise parents about the crippling nature of the virus.

“Educated segments of society should play their role and coordinate with health teams and vaccinate children below the age of five against the disease,” he said.

Other initiatives

The Anti-Polio Campaign Organisation also organised a walk to create awareness among the public regarding the hazards of the virus.

Moreover, cricket matches and painting exhibitions were also held in different parts of the Quetta and other districts of Balochistan. A whole host of people participated in the initiatives and expressed their strongest resolve to make Balochistan a polio-free society.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 15^th, 2012.