More Than 421,000 Kids Given Anti-Polio Drops

News Desk

Islamabad: Nearly 44.2 million children under the age of five are administered anti-polio drops in Islamabad during a five-day nationwide anti-polio drive.

According to official sources, in addition to provide children between the ages of six and 59 months polio drops during the drive, polio teams also gave them a dose of vitamin A to enhance their immunity and provide the optimum level of protection.

The government has 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; sources.

They informed that more than 350,000 skilled and devoted Sehat Muhafiz members are working on the inoculation drive to immunise the targeted children right outside their door.

Federal Minister for National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination Abdul Qadir Patel said, “Polio will be completely eradicated from Pakistan if we are successful in getting rid of the poliovirus in southern KP.”

Abdul Qadir added, “We are motivated to reach the finish line and are actually fairly near to it. With the polio virus now only spreading in one small area of Pakistan, the country has made significant progress in the fight against the disease.”

National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) Coordinator Dr Shahzad Baig highlighted that in order to completely eradicate the poliovirus from the nation, the anti-polio campaign required coordinated effort at all levels.

“Our goal is to make sure that eligible children receive vaccinations on time and repeatedly. Our first goal is high-risk locations, and we are eager to eradicate the poliovirus there while safeguarding the rest of the region,” he stated.

“I particularly implore all parents and guardians to get their kids immunised rather than hiding them from the polio drops or refusing to give them to them during any vaccination drives. The polio virus still remains in our environment, and until all children have received the recommended vaccinations, no child is safe,” Dr Baig said.

The NEOC issued the Sehat Tahaffuz Helpline 1166 and 24/7 WhatsApp Helpline 0346-777-65-46 to assist the parents and caregivers in reporting the missed children.