Swat battles polio amid community consensus
DC Mahmood Aslam Wazir visits several localities to monitor the drive.
MINGORA:
A polio vaccination campaign is running successfully in Swat largely due to the cooperative attitude of the residents. Around 1,100 teams are participating in the drive which aims to immunise 300,000 children.
Staff of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation and social activists have expressed their determination to eliminate polio from the district and lauded the community’s support.
Talking about the need for cooperation from parents, a polio team supervisor, Rahmat Ali, said, “Wherever communities, particularly parents, are cooperative, our work becomes very easy as we need their support to eradicate the virus from the district.”
The vaccination campaign was initiated after a child was diagnosed with polio last month in Khwazakhela tehsil. The 1,100 health teams have been divided into groups which are immunising children at fixed, transit and mobile camps in all 65 union councils of the district, they are also going door to door to administer polio drops.
Keeping an eye
The drive is being carried out amid tight security and monitoring from the district administration.
“I’m personally supervising the vaccination campaign and I have also directed the district health officer to take special measures to ensure every child is immunised,” said Swat Deputy Commissioner Mahmood Aslam Wazir.
“Along with routine immunisation, special campaigns will also be conducted to tackle the virus,” he added.
Wazir also visited several areas after the health teams had left to check if the children had been vaccinated.
“I have also directed all assistant commissioners to visit localities and monitor the health teams’ work and ensure no child is left unvaccinated,” he said.
Last month, Swat reported a polio case after a gap of five years; 21 month-old Abu Taha, a resident of Tarogay village in Khwazakhela UC.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 10th, 2014.
A polio vaccination campaign is running successfully in Swat largely due to the cooperative attitude of the residents. Around 1,100 teams are participating in the drive which aims to immunise 300,000 children.
Staff of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation and social activists have expressed their determination to eliminate polio from the district and lauded the community’s support.
Talking about the need for cooperation from parents, a polio team supervisor, Rahmat Ali, said, “Wherever communities, particularly parents, are cooperative, our work becomes very easy as we need their support to eradicate the virus from the district.”
The vaccination campaign was initiated after a child was diagnosed with polio last month in Khwazakhela tehsil. The 1,100 health teams have been divided into groups which are immunising children at fixed, transit and mobile camps in all 65 union councils of the district, they are also going door to door to administer polio drops.
Keeping an eye
The drive is being carried out amid tight security and monitoring from the district administration.
“I’m personally supervising the vaccination campaign and I have also directed the district health officer to take special measures to ensure every child is immunised,” said Swat Deputy Commissioner Mahmood Aslam Wazir.
“Along with routine immunisation, special campaigns will also be conducted to tackle the virus,” he added.
Wazir also visited several areas after the health teams had left to check if the children had been vaccinated.
“I have also directed all assistant commissioners to visit localities and monitor the health teams’ work and ensure no child is left unvaccinated,” he said.
Last month, Swat reported a polio case after a gap of five years; 21 month-old Abu Taha, a resident of Tarogay village in Khwazakhela UC.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 10th, 2014.