MUHAMMAD SALEEM
LAHORE: A five-day anti-polio campaign has been launched in Punjab on Monday after reporting of one polio case in the current year. The drive, which has been started from May 15, will continue till May 19.
Punjab Minister for Primary and Secondary Health Khawaja Imran Nazir inaugurated the anti-polio campaign, here at Children’s Hospital.
Talking to media on the occasion, Imran said that joint and consolidated efforts are required to eliminate diseases from the country and all the stake holders should work together for this national cause without indulging in politics or provincialism.
“Eradication of polio is the top priority of Pakistan government for which Punjab province endeavouring hard to achieve this goal,” he said, adding: “Punjab had remained polio free during 2016; however, one case of polio has been reported in the current year.”
Dean Institute of Child Health Professor Dr Masood Sadiq, Medical Director Prof Ahsan Waheed Rathore, Chief Executive Health Lahore Dr. Saeed Ghumman, representatives of WHO and UNICEF a large number of doctors, nurses and children along with their parents were also present on this occasion.
Prof Dr Ahsan Waheed Rathore said that if a single polio case exists in any corner of the world it would be a threat to all the children.
Health minister informed the media that during five days anti-polio campaign 18.6 million children of below five years of age would be administered polio drops for which Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department has constituted 45584 polio teams comprising two members in each team. Out of them 38699 are mobile teams which would visit door to door for giving polio drops to the children, whereas, 4480 fixed teams deputed in the hospitals and health facilities while 2405 polio teams have been assigned duty to administer polio drops to the children at the transit points coming from other provinces.
Responding to a question, Imran Nazir said that security has been provided to the polio teams in the sensitive and tribal areas. Chief Secretary and IG Punjab have ordered that police should be high alert during polio campaign while police patrolling has also been beefed up.
To another query, Imran Nazir disclosed that polio virus of environmental samples in different districts is not indigenous and its similarity is identical to the virus prevailing in other parts of the country, therefore, other provincial governments should also launch intensive polio campaigns with full political commitment so that the virus could be eliminated from Pakistan.
He urged the people to cooperate with the polio teams coming to their homes for a healthy future of their children. If mobile teams did not visit their home people can get their children vaccinated from a nearby immunization centre or from a hospital, he concluded.
It may be added that the three-day anti-polio drive has been started in different parts of the country. More than 6.6 million children up to five years of age will be administered anti-polio vaccine in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA.
Over two million children will be administered anti-polio vaccine in thirty districts of Balochistan.
In Muzaffarabad, more than 120,000 children will be vaccinated against the disease. In Gilgit-Baltistan, over 236,000 children will be administered anti-polio vaccine drops.
Teams of health workers will also available at railway stations, bus stands and public places to ensure that every child is vaccinated.
