Over 6.4 Million Kids To Be Vaccinated As Chief Secretary Launches Nov Round Of Anti-polio Drive In KP

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Secretary Dr Kazim Niaz has said that immunization of all children under five-year of age was the key to success in the eradication of polio from the region and government with the support of motivated frontline workers was making every effort towards this end

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Nov, 2020 ) :Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Secretary Dr Kazim Niaz has said that immunization of all children under five-year of age was the key to success in the eradication of polio from the region and government with the support of motivated frontline workers was making every effort towards this end.

He said this while inaugurating the November round of anti-polio drive in the province here Friday at Police Services Hospital Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Additional Secretary Health (Polio), Abdul Basit, Technical Focal Person EOC Dr Imtiaz Ali Shah, Deputy DHO, Dr Jahanzeb, representatives of UNICEF, WHO and health department were also present on the occasion.

Talking to media on the occasion, Dr Kazim Niaz has reassured that polio eradication remains the top priority saying that the provincial government will not rest till it wipes out the menace and protect every child from the incurable disease.

"Society as a whole including media and doctors' fraternity have a key role in sensitizing the masses about importance of vaccination and unless owned by the community the target of polio eradication will not be achieved", he maintained.

The top provincial bureaucrat urged parents and caregivers to realize their responsibility and cooperate with the teams by vaccinating their children under five in every round of campaign against the crippling disease.

He said that good progress has been made in the war against polio in the turmoil situation as last year this point in time 73 polio cases have been reported from the province while this year 22 cases are reported which is 70 percent decrease.

However, he went on to add that the fight will not be over till all the children were immunized and the scourge of polio was wiped out of the last endemic region.

Speaking on the occasion, Additional Secretary Health (polio) & Coordinator Emergency Operations Center Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Abdul Basit said that the three days anti-polio drive will be carried out in the entire province including Afghan Refugees camps while strictly adhering to the COVID SOPs.

He said that repeated campaigns were conducted in the province in view of continuous virus circulation in the environment that can hit any immune compromised and unvaccinated child.

Abdul Basit appealed to parents to pay no heed to anti-polio propaganda and immunize their children against polio by allowing the teams to administer two drops of polio vaccine to their children and protect them from life-long paralysis.

He said that the total target of the campaign stand at 6.401 million for which a total of 28681 teams have been constituted out of which 25579 are mobile teams, 1868 fixed teams, 1104 transit teams while 130 roaming teams.

Abdul Basit said that strict security measures have been taken to safeguard the workers from any untoward situation and over 30000 law enforcers will be deployed with the teams in the campaign.