Anti-polio drive underway in Lahore amid strict security

LAHORE: The second anti-polio drive on Monday has kicked off in Lahore under strict security measures, ARY News reported.

The drive will continue from February 13 (today) until February 19 with the target to administer anti-polio drops to more than 2 million children aged under five years.

According to the capital city police officer (CCPO) Lahore said over 1,200 policemen are providing security to the workers taking part in the anti-polio drive.

Separately, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), a three-day anti-polio campaign has kicked off in seven districts, during which more than one point three million children will be administered anti-polio vaccine.

In Balochistan, more than one hundred twenty-seven thousand children will be administered anti-polio drops during a seven-day campaign in thirty-seven union councils of nine districts.

Earlier in February, it was reported that the nationwide anti-polio campaign, held in three phases in January, ‘failed’ to achieve set targets.

Sources familiar with the matter said as many as 44.2% of children aged 5 years were said to be inhaled anti-polio drops, but the target was not met. As many as 552,256 children were left without anti-polio drops during the three-phase drive in the country.