Anti-polio drive: Over 43m children to be vaccinated across Pakistan

Shazia Mehboob

ISLAMABAD: As many as 43 million children less than five years of age will be vaccinated during the six-day nationwide anti-polio vaccination drive, which has been kicked off on Monday.

The statement issued by the Ministry of Health on Monday states that over 339,521 trained polio workers have been engaged in the vaccination drive to vaccinate children at their doorstep. The health officials said that previous drives were limited to some areas but this campaign has been launched in all areas of the country.

In a message in connection with anti-polio drivers, Minister for Health Qadir Patel said: “The government remains committed to eradicating polio and focusing on well-coordinated efforts at both the federal and provincial level to realize the dream of making Pakistan a polio-free country.”  Patel also stressed the important role of parents and caregivers in the success of repeated vaccination campaigns. He said: “It’s every Pakistani’s duty to ensure that their own children, as well as children around them, are administered the polio drops in each campaign.”

The Health Minister said that the wild poliovirus remains in the environment in certain districts, posing a threat to the resurgence in cases. “We are calling all parents and caregivers to cooperate with vaccinators as no child is safe until all children are vaccinated,” Patel maintained.

The polio vaccine is safe, and it helps to build immunity among children against the poliovirus. Polio vaccination campaigns are imperative for building immunity among children and preventing possible death or lifelong paralysis.

Patel said: “Unvaccinated children are at risk and we need to ensure all eligible children are vaccinated during each campaign to build their immunity against diseases. It is time to be more vigilant to reach the target of polio-free Pakistan.”

During the undergoing five-day drive, approximately 43.3 million children under the age of five years would be administered the anti-polio vaccine. To ensure the success of the drive, around 340,000 frontline polio workers are taking part in the campaign to administer the anti-polio vaccine to the children at their doorsteps.

Protecting polio workers

To avoid any untoward incident during the five-day national immunization campaign, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government has imposed section 144 in various districts along with the imposition of a ban on pillion riding.

Besides, the use of tinted glasses in vehicles, and carrying and display of arms from May 23 to 27 will remain banned with the warning for action against violators under section 188. The police teams have also been deployed with polio vaccination teams to provide foolproof security to them.

During the five-day campaign, as many as 7.2 million children under the age of five would be vaccinated against the crippling disease in KP.

Coordinator of the campaign Abdul Basit said on Monday that as many as 30,981 polio worker teams, including 27,763 mobile, 1981 fixed, 1161 transit, and 149 roaming teams, have been constituted to administer polio drops.

The Coordinator also urged parents to get their children vaccinated against polio and help the government to make the country polio-free. Meanwhile, all the deputy commissioners started the polio vaccination drive in their respective districts including the merged areas by administering polio drops to children.

Parents warned against refusal of polio drops 

 Deputy Commissioner Multan has warned of strict action against parents who would refuse or are found creating hurdles to get administered their children polio drops. He appealed to the parents to cooperate with the anti-polio teams to protect their children from the lifelong crippling disease. The DC also asked people to immunize their children with anti-polio drops to help make Pakistan a polio-free country. More than 1.9 million children below five-year age would be administered anti-polio vaccine in Multan through 7443 teams constituted for all four districts of the division.

Despite no polio case reported

A total of 72,422 children under five years of age would be administered polio vaccine and vitamin-A drops during the five-day-long nationwide anti-polio campaign which commenced here on Monday.

“According to the plan, the district has been divided into six zones with one supervisor for each zone to implement the drive. Onward in charge will supervise the campaign in each union council of the district”, the District Health Officer Dr Fida Hussain said on Monday after beginning the national drive against poliovirus.

Dr Fida Hussain said that medical officers would supervise the campaign in all 28 union councils besides the ward in-charges deputed to supervise the drive in 88 other union councils in the district of over seven lacs UK-based Kashmiri expatriates.

He said that a total of 400 mobile teams had been constituted and 40 fixed centers had been set up in the district to immunize the children with the anti-polio vaccine. Besides, 14 transit points had also been carved out in various parts of Mirpur district to inject traveling children with anti-polio vaccine and to administer vitamin A drops during the campaign.

Deputy Commissioner Amjad Iqbal advised the parents to get their children protected from the disease of polio by fully cooperating with the mobile medical teams and those deputed at transit points and fixed centers.

The DC emphasized that there was an earnest need for accountability and commitment to this global cause for achieving the target of complete eradication of this fatal disease. It was officially stated that no case of any child with polio had been reported in Azad Jammu Kashmir including Mirpur since the year of 2000.