Incomplete innoculation: Polio campaign to immunise over 70,000 children in FATA

NWA, 91% of SWA and parts of FR Bannu excluded from the drive.

PESHAWAR: A polio eradication campaign intended for the children of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) kicked off recently.

FATA Social Secretary Captain (retd) Sardar Muhammad Abbas also participated and administered the oral polio vaccine to children at the FATA Secretariat.

Captain Abbas urged polio teams to ensure they vaccinate all children under the age of five, the target age group for the drive, to protect them from a life-long physical disability.

He also urged the public to cooperate with polio workers so no child is left unvaccinated.

FATA Director Health Services Dr Pervez Kamal, World Health Organization (WHO) Team Leader Dr Sarfaraz Afridi, representatives of UNICEF and government officials from Fata also participated.

According to the FATA Expanded Programme on Immunisation, a total of 2,641 teams of trained volunteers will administer polio drops to around 713,051 children all over Fata.

The teams, including 2,324 mobile, 245 fixed and 72 transit teams, will perform their duties under proper security arrangements.

However, North Waziristan Agency (NWA), 91% of South Waziristan Agency and some areas of Frontier Region Bannu, including Jani Khel and Saintanga, have been excluded from the drive owing to deteriorating security and threats from militants. The Taliban’s ban on polio vaccination has been in place in Waziristan since 2012.

Similarly, the polio campaign in Khyber Agency has also been postponed till next week in the wake of poor law and order.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 11^th, 2014.