Nationwide anti-polio campaign to begin from Monday

ISLAMABAD:A five-day nationwide anti-polio campaign will start from tomorrow (Monday) to immunize over 39.4 million children across the country, ARY News reported on Sunday.

The vaccination drive will continue from February 17-21, while it will be extended to seven days in more sensitive areas, sources said.

Around 2,65,000 anti-polio workers will participate in the drive across the country.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 6.7 million children under the age of five years will be administered vaccine.

In the vaccination drive 19.9 million children will be administered polio vaccine in Punjab, 9.26 million children in Sindh and 2.46 mln children in Balochistan.

In Islamabad 3,56,000 children, Azad Kashmir 6,90,000 children and in Gilgit-Baltistan 2,40,000 children under the age of five years will be administered vaccine.

Secretary General United Nations will also administer police vaccine to children in Lahore on February 18.

According to reports overall count of polio cases across the country had reached 134 in 2019 with 91 cases in KP, 24 cases in Sindh, eight in Punjab and 11 in Balochistan.

In the new year so far 17 polio cases have been reported across the country.

Terming polio eradication as a national cause and a collective responsibility, government officials have  urged all segments of the society, donor agencies and government institutions, to make coordinated efforts to save the future generations from life-long disabilities.