Anti-polio drive to begin across country tomorrow

ISLAMABAD: A five-day anti-polio drive in a different part of the country will begin from tomorrow (Monday).

During a five-day campaign, in Punjab 19 million children under the age of five years will be administered the anti-polio vaccine.

In Sindh over 2.3 million children while in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan over 6.7 million and 2.5 million children up to five years of age will be administered anti-polio drops respectively.

Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar earlier today announced the commencement of the anti-polio vaccination campaign across the province from Monday (tomorrow).

CM Usman Buzdar, in his Twitter message, said that all segments of the society will have to fight a war against polio disease in Pakistan in order to void children of the next generation. He announced ministers, parliamentarians and civil society will unitedly take part in the upcoming campaign.

Earlier, on December 13, Prime Minister Imran Khan urged parents to actively take part in the administration of anti-polio drops to their children in an order to eradicate the virus from the country.

Addressing the launching ceremony of the Nationwide Polio Eradication Campaign in Islamabad, the prime minister urged the nation to eradicate polio from the country as it is a ‘matter of shame’ that Pakistan is still among the countries in the world where polio continues to exist.

“It is my humble request to all the mothers watching this event that if you are not reached by our polio team then you should set out to find polio workers and make sure your kids get the polio drops”

“Pakistan is among the very few countries that still have traces of polio, despite numerous successes rendered by polio staff,” said premier while lauding the sacrifices of polio workers.

It must be noted that the tally of polio cases across the country reached up to 98 this year.