Special anti-polio campaign to be launched from July 20: sources

ISLAMABAD: Federal government has decided to launch a special anti-polio immunization campaign after the country so far recorded 58 cases of the disabling disease during the ongoing year, ARY NEWS reported on Saturday citing sources.

According to sources, the immunization campaign will be launched in four provinces of the country, especially in the areas that have reported rising polio cases.

“The campaign is titled as targeted response campaign and will begin from July 20,” sources in the national health department said.

The immunization campaign will cover 800,000 children across the country and Karachi, Quetta, Faisalabad and South Waziristan will be primarily targeted in the campaign.

“10 union councils of Quetta and 55 union councils of Faisalabad will be covered during the anti-polio campaign,” they said adding that directives have been issued to the provinces from the Centre to prepare for the drive.

It is pertinent to mention here that on June 11, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa and Microsoft Founder and Co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Bill Gates discussed the anti-polio drive in Pakistan during a telephonic conversation, Director-General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG-ISPR) said.

General Bajwa and Bill Gates exchanged views on the anti-polio vaccination campaign in Pakistan.

Bill Gates said that the armed forces of Pakistan were playing an effective role in the security and monitoring of the anti-polio drive.

COAS Bajwa said that it was the national responsibility of the armed forces and the military troops were playing its role for carrying out healthcare activities. He added that the health workers played a vital role to successfully run the anti-polio campaign which would be resumed within a few weeks.