A three-day drive will start in the city on February 24. PHOTO: AFP
KARACHI: A serious three-day anti-polio drive will be launched in Karachi on February 24, according to District Central Deputy Commissioner Saifur Rahman, Express News reported on Wednesday.
A police report (FIR) will be registered against any parents who refuse to have their child vaccinated and they will be prosecuted, warned the organisers of the drive.
During a meeting to discuss the campaign, Rahman said that the security plan for the drive will be determined by the SHO of the area and the DSP concerned a day before it begins.
SSP Central Amir Farooqi said that stringent security will be ensured for the campaigners of this drive.
Polio vaccination teams frequently come under attack in the country as the authorities struggle to ensure an end to the crippling virus.
On January 20, anti-polio teams came under attack in Karachi, Mansehra and Panjgur for carrying out vaccination campaign. In Karachi, three people – including two female workers – were killed and two others sustained injuries in a gun attack.
The team – working without any security – was attacked in Karachi’s Qayumabad area. The anti-polio campaign was postponed in the city’s East Zone after the attack.
Sindh chief minister had announced Rs0.5 million as compensation for each deceased polio workers.
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@Faizan: No, it is too lenient!
Parents who refuse to vaccinate their children are doing an unethical act. They have no right to not only jeopordize the health of their children but also place Pakistan as one of only two countries (alongside Nigeria) in the ENTIRE WORLD where polio is not being stopped, but is instead spreading.
Too Harsh? I would say those who commit violence against Polio teams shall be hanged till death. They are not only killing innocent polio workers but also creating a crippled future for their children which is worse than being dead.
I thought the government said that they will not announce the date & place of polio vaccination campaigns.