PESHAWAR: The Provincial Task Force on Polio Eradication on Friday launched an anti-polio drive targeting over 7.3 million children under the age of five to be vaccinated across the province in two phases.
The meeting of the Provincial Task Force on Polio Eradication was held on Friday under the chairmanship of Additional Chief Secretary Planning and Development, Ikramullah Khan. The meeting reviewed preparations for the upcoming anti-polio campaign commencing on October 13, as well as the outcomes of the previous drive.
Senior officials from the Health Department, Provincial and National Emergency Operations Centres (EOC), district administrations, police, and partner international organisations working in the health sector attended the meeting.
Briefing the participants, the Provincial EOC Coordinator said that all arrangements for the four-day campaign had been finalised. The drive will be carried out across the province in two phases, targeting over 7.3 million children under the age of five.
In the first phase, starting on October 13, children in all districts of Peshawar, Kohat, Mardan, Malakand, and Hazara divisions will be administered polio drops. The second phase will begin on October 20, covering all districts of the Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan divisions. To boost children’s immunity, Vitamin A doses will also be provided during the campaign.
A total of 35,248 trained polio workers have been deployed for the campaign, including 32,008 mobile teams, 1,836 fixed teams, and 1,404 transit teams. In addition, 8,279 area in-charges have been appointed for effective supervision. Around 50,000 security personnel will be deployed across the province to ensure foolproof security for the vaccination teams.
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Addressing the meeting, Additional Chief Secretary Ikramullah Khan directed concerned departments to ensure a well-coordinated and organised campaign by utilising all available resources and ensuring monitoring at every level. He appealed to parents to fully cooperate with vaccination teams so that no child remains vulnerable to the crippling disease.
