Anti-polio drive begins in 33 districts of Balochistan

QUETTA: A five-day anti-polio drive on Monday has begun in 33 districts of Balochistan from today (Monday), ARY News reported.

During the drive, as many as a 2.5million children under the age of 5 years will be administered anti-polio drops to save them from the crippling disease of polio.

The polio eradication programme has put strict measures in place for all staff following the government’s set guidelines on COVID-19 preventative measures.

On September 24, it was reported that the National Anti-Polio Programme has achieved 85 per cent of its set target in three days.

In first three days of the anti-polio drive as many as 30.4 million children have been vaccinated against the crippling disease, out of the set target of 40.16 million.

Read more: New polio case reported in Punjab’s Ahmedpur East

In Punjab, 1.82 million children under the age of 5 years have been vaccinated by the polio workers. 74,80000 in Sindh, 57,20000 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 15,55,489 children have been vaccinated in Balochistan.

Furthermore, 2,68,139 kids were vaccinated in Islamabad, 2,20,586 in Gilgit Baltistan and 6,34,633 were vaccinated in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Poliovirus is highly infectious. The incubation period is usually 7–10 days but can range from 4–35 days. The virus enters the body through the mouth and multiplies in the intestine.