Polio vaccination drive from Monday

The vaccination campaign will be implemented in 13 union councils


APP May 16, 2015
The vaccination campaign will be implemented in 13 union councils . STOCK IMAGE

RAWALPINDI:


Rawalpindi health department will carry out a five-day anti-polio campaign in high-risk areas of the district from May 18 with an aim to cover 166,000 children.  


The vaccination campaign will be implemented in 13 union councils (UCs) of Rawalpindi city, five wards of cantonment, six union councils of Taxila tehsil and five union councils of rural areas.

Executive District Officer (EDO-Health) Dr Nasir Mehmood said these UCs were declared high-risk after sewage samples from these areas indicated the presence of polio.

He said in the recently concluded regular campaign, 750,793 children aged five or below were vaccinated against the crippling disease.

The EDO appealed to the public to help make the campaign a success.

Meanwhile, the Punjab government has decided to administer inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) through injections in addition to oral polio vaccine (OPV) to children in high risk union councils across the province from June.

District Programme coordinator Dr Ch Javaid Iqbal said the decision was made because IPV is more affective as it enhances the immune system of the child to fight the crippling disease at least for a year. He said the step has been taken on the recommendation of World Health Organization (WHO).

Published in The Express Tribune, May 17th, 2015.

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