Anti-polio campaign launched nationwide

WEB DESK: “Polio has been eradicated from all over the world except Pakistan and Afghanistan,” Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said, as the anti-polio campaign kicks off all across the country.

“We will end the anti-polio campaign by giving importance to the reports of all our Deputy Commissioners,” Shah said, adding that polio virus grows in dirty places.

Seven-day Anti-Polio Campaign to begin in Sindh from December 16

“I request the people to support us,” the Sindh CM said. All parents must give their children polio drops, protect them from disabilities and take special care of cleanliness, he added.

I met people suffering from polio, who were affected in 1991 and 1994. Therefore I urge parents to protect their children and give them drops.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah

In Punjab too, the campaign has kicked off on Monday morning. Lahore Deputy Commissioner Syed Musa Raza inaugurated the polio campaign at DHQ Mian Mir Hospital. The campaign will be targeting to vaccinate over 2.2 million children under the age of five years in the province, Lahore DC said adding that the campaign will continue from December 16 to 22.

Lahore Police has taken stringent security measures to protect the vaccination teams. The Lahore Police is providing security to 6,448 polio teams who will be going door-to-door, Lahore Police spokesperson told media.

The spokesperson also informed that 381 upper subordinates of Lahore Police and more than 1,000 personnel have been assigned for the security of the polio teams. Moreover, 498 motorcycle squads and 83 mobile patrol units in Lahore will continuously patrol the field for the security of the polio teams, the spokesperson said.

The anti-polio campaign will continue in 27 union councils and 10 zones of Lahore.

Reports from Mananwala show that the anti-polio campaign has begun in that city and surrounding suburbs as well. Polio Teams are administering drops to children up to five years of age.

Two camps have also been set up at GT Road bus station, while the local police have made foolproof security arrangements.

PM Shehbaz vows to drive poliovirus out of Pakistan’s borders

Polio teams have also started administering vaccinations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Reports from Bannu show that the five-day anti-polio campaign has started across the district.

Polio teams will knock on every house in the district and children under the age of five will be given polio drops. Bannu Deputy Commissioner told media that Section 144 has been imposed in the entire district for seven days, to ensure security for the anti-polio campaign.

Motorcycle pillion riding, display of weapons and use of tinted windows in vehicles have been banned, Bannu DC said, adding that the detailed breakdown of numbers has not yet been released to the media but it will be shared later.

Earlier, the campaign was postponed in various union councils of the province ​​due to the poor security situation during the campaign.

Meanwhile, the anti-polio campaign has been postponed in Balochistan for one day, at the request of the Balochistan Home Department.

Quetta grand health alliance boycotts anti-polio campaign

The seven-day polio campaign was to start from today across Balochistan as well, along with rest of the country, but the provincial Home Department wrote a letter to the Health Secretary to postpone the polio campaign by one day due to security concerns.

Moreover, a boycott of the campaign had also been announced in the province by the Quetta Grand Health Alliance in protest of the government’s decision to privatise hospitals.

The provincial government is aiming for the campaign to begin tomorrow and vaccinate over 2.66 million children. Reportedly, 11,000 teams will participate in the provincial polio campaign.