Pindi Launches Anti-Polio Drive to Protect Over One Million Children

APP

Rawalpindi: Around 1,015,262 children are set to receive polio vaccinations during Rawalpindi’s ongoing anti-polio campaign, as revealed by the district administration on Monday.

The drive involves 4,199 teams, including 3,703 mobile teams, 866 area in-charges, 330 fixed points, and 245 Union Council medical officers.

Commissioner Rawalpindi, Laiqat Ali Chatta, inaugurated the week-long drive by personally administering drops to children under five years old at his office. Chatta emphasized that the campaign was initiated due to positive polio environmental samples and cases reported in other provinces of Pakistan.

Stressing the importance of the drive, Chatta highlighted the participation of over 4,000 teams to cover the targeted children. Additionally, he mentioned immunization efforts taking place at 166 transit points within the district.

Concurrently, Dr Jamal Nasir, Caretaker Provincial Minister for Primary and Secondary Healthcare and Population Welfare, Punjab, expressed concern over the presence of the poliovirus in environmental samples. He announced a seven-day special anti-polio campaign across 36 districts in Punjab, aiming to reach over 21 million children by December 1.

During the launch at Rural Health Centre Khayaban-e-Sir Syed, Dr Jamal Nasir personally administered drops to children and emphasized the urgency of the campaign to eliminate the deadly virus.

District Superintendent of Vaccination, Dr Muhammad Nadeem, reported that over 200,000 children received protection against polio on the campaign’s first day. He urged citizens, especially parents, to actively participate in eradicating this debilitating disease from society.