Anti-Polio Campaigns Begin in 71 Districts Across Three Provinces
Punjab, KP and Balochistan Intensify Efforts to Eradicate Polio
ISLAMABAD: (News Desk) – Anti-polio vaccination campaigns have begun in 13 districts of Punjab, 27 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and all 31 districts of Balochistan, as health authorities intensify efforts to protect children under five against the crippling disease.
In Punjab, Health Minister Khawaja Imran Nazir reviewed the campaign in Lahore and visited several nomadic settlements, where he administered polio drops to children and distributed gifts.
He stressed the need to prioritise children from nomadic communities, particularly those who have migrated from colder regions, and directed vaccination teams to ensure that no child was missed.
Nazir also instructed deputy district health officers and field staff to pay special attention to children arriving from other provinces. He warned that strict action would be taken against anyone found obstructing the vaccination campaign.
The health CEO briefed the minister on the campaign’s progress. Nazir said the government would continue its efforts until the desired results were achieved.
KP Targets 4.8 Million Children
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) said preparations had been completed to vaccinate 4.8 million children across 27 districts.
A total of 20,772 vaccination teams have been deployed, including 18,630 mobile teams, 1,225 fixed-site teams and 917 transit teams. Another 4,734 area in-charges will supervise the teams, while 30,000 security personnel will provide protection.
The campaign will run for seven days in Peshawar and Khyber and four days in the remaining districts. Vaccination activities have started across the Peshawar, Kohat, Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan divisions.
Balochistan Campaign Targets 2.2 Million Children
Meanwhile, a seven-day anti-polio campaign has begun in all 31 districts of Balochistan and will continue until November 8.
The campaign aims to vaccinate more than 2.2 million children under the age of five. A total of 8,888 teams have been formed to carry out door-to-door vaccination across 658 union councils.
The Balochistan Health Department has urged parents to cooperate with vaccination teams and ensure that every child under five receives polio drops.
[…] Two police personnel were martyred and another injured when unidentified armed men opened fire on a police team assigned to protect polio vaccinators in Mohmand district of Khyber […]