13-day Anti-measles Drive Continues In AJK

The 13-day anti-measles drive continued throughout Azad Jammu and Kashmir, on the 3rd consecutive day on Wednesday.

MIRPUR (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Oct, 2018 ) :The 13-day anti-measles drive continued throughout Azad Jammu and Kashmir, on the 3rd consecutive day on Wednesday.

It was inaugurated in Azad Jammu and Kashmir by Minister For sports, Youth and Culture Ch Muhammad Saeed who gave anti -measels vaccine to children of 9 months to 5 years of age at a special ceremony hosted at the District Health Office here.

The nation-wide campaign was formally kicked off across Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir from October 15 under the auspices of the EPI wing of the State Health Services department with the coordination of the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), Dr Asghar Ali Chaudhry, District Health Officer Mirpur told APP here on Wednesday.

"In Mirpur district, a total of 71,398 children of the age of 9 months to 5 years would be administered anti cholera vaccine during the drive formally commencing from October 15 to 27", the DHO said while unveiling the district-wide breakup of the nation-wide drive.

Dr Asghar Ali Chaudhry continued that since Mirpur district comprises a total of the population of 509,987 lakhs with 29 union councils, 2 town committees and a Municipal Corporation the State Health Department have constituted a total of 72 outreach teams, 35 fixed centres, 20 union council monitory offices under the supervision of four district supervisors, 07 Tehsil supervisors, 20 social mobilization focal person, 19 focal persons, 29 waste management focal persons,109 skilled persons, 109 team assistants and 144 social mobilizers.

Earlier, while inaugurating the campaign in AJK, the minister for Sports, Youth, Culture, MDA and MDHA Ch Muhammad Saeed said that the AJK government was determined to keep children in Azad Jammu and Kashmir saved from all sorts of epidemics including polio, measles and Cholera through the active exercise of the nation-wide epidemics eradication programmes primarily under the spirit of producing quality healthy generation so that they could serve the nation and the country as quality future architects of the nation, he added.

He said that the incumbent Prime Minister Raja Frooq Haider Khan-led government was paying special attention allocating colossal funds for the dispensation of quality healthy cover to the ailing humanity, close to their door-step across Azad Jammu Kashmir, harmonious to the needs of the modern age, he added.

Meanwhile, in the capital district of Muzaffarabad, a total of 1,08,718 children from 9 months to 5 years would be applied anti measles vaccination in district Muzaffarabad during the drive.

The AJK government has decided that the mobile teams of the State Health department would not only create awareness about the preventive measures to save the children from the disease of measles but would also vaccinate the school children on the spot during the drive. Children would be vaccinated at all the entry points too.

Authorities have established two control rooms in the State's metropolis to monitor whole of 13-day drive. All out steps have been designed to make the campaign complete success.