Immunisation drive: Polio vaccination campaign inaugurated

BAHAWALPUR/ FAISALABAD:

District Coordination Officer Imran Sikandar Baloch on Saturday inaugurated a three-day polio vaccination campaign in Bahawalpur by vaccinating several children under the age of five years at Bahawal Victoria Hospital.

Addressing the participants, he said nearly 587,831 children would be vaccinated during the drive.

Health EDO Shahid Khaleeq told newsmen that a campaign for children who were missed would be launched soon after the conclusion of the drive. He said 1,298 teams had been formed for this purpose. In Faisalabad, DCO Noorul Amin Mengal said 1.296 million children would be administered the vaccine drops in the drive scheduled to commence on November 10.

The DCO inaugurated the campaign by administering drops to children near Jhall Khanuana Bridge. He urged parents to get their children vaccinated. “We have to step up our efforts to eradicate the polio virus from the country,” he said. The DCO said polio teams should remain present on designated spots at all times. He said child travellers at transport stands, railway stations, the airport and the motorway interchanges should be vaccinated.

He said security arrangements for polio workers had been finalised. He said 2,846 polio teams had been mobilised for the campaign.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 8^th, 2015.