Islamabad (Web Desk): The first nationwide anti-polio campaign of the year continued on Tuesday to vaccinate over 44.2 million children under the age of five against the crippling disease of polio.
According to official sources, to provide maximum protection and boost a child’s immunity, polio teams are also giving a dose of Vitamin-A to children aged six to 59 months in addition to polio drops during the drive.
The campaign will continue till January 20 across the country, involving districts of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and Islamabad.
The government had fixed the target to vaccinate over 10 million children in Sindh, over 421,000 children in Islamabad, 2,599,000 children in Balochistan, over 7,458,000 children in Balochistan, and over 278,000 children in Gilgit Baltistan, they added.
The sources said that over 350,000 trained and dedicated ‘Sehat muhafiz’ members had been engaged in the vaccination drive to inoculate the targeted children at their doorstep.
On this occasion, Federal Minister for National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination, Abdul Qadir Patel said, “If we can eliminate the poliovirus from southern KP, we will succeed in eliminating polio from Pakistan altogether.”
He added, “We are quite close to the finish line, and we are determined to get there as soon as possible.”
“Pakistan has made great strides in the fight against polio, with virus circulation reduced to only one small part of the country,” Patel highlighted.
Coordinator of the National Emergency Operation Centre Dr Shahzad Baig said that high-risk districts will be top priority during the anti-polio campaign.
It is worth mentioning here that the National Emergency Operation Centre issued the “Sehat Tahhafuz” Helpline 1166 and 24/7 WhatsApp Helpline 0346-777-65-46 to assist the parents and caregivers in reporting the missed children.
