Polio Campaign In Full Swing Despite Resistance In Rawalpindi

Polio Campaign has achieved all set targets successfully while a fake viral video on social media has created fear among the masses resulting strong resistance from parents refusing to allow polio drops to their children.

RAWALPINDI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Mar, 2018 ) :Polio Campaign has achieved all set targets successfully while a fake viral video on social media has created fear among the masses resulting strong resistance from parents refusing to allow polio drops to their children.

Talking to APP, District Health Authority (DHA) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr. Sohail Ahmad Chaudhry said there has been no positive Polio case registered in the district for the last eight years, adding but the fake video claiming children's death from Polio vaccine had made difficult for the Health workers to administer polio drops.

He further said the polio workers had faced resistance in the beginning from the people while the workers after making all out efforts have convinced many of them to give polio drops to their children.

He informed that DHA has achieved 100% targets during the week long campaign from March 12-19 whereas the authority is making all possible arrangements to successfully accomplish other polio campaign targets.

Sohail said Polio eradication is not only possible with the help of DHA staff working day and night to administer Polio drops rather public cooperation is inevitable to curb the menace.

To a question, he said the Polio vaccines have no side effects as they have been administered since 1985 and almost three generations have undergone it.

He told that most of the citizens hailing from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), FATA, Waziristan and Northern Areas have refused to administer polio vaccine to their children while efforts are underway to nullify the propaganda made against polio vaccine.

Meanwhile District Health Officer Prevention (DHO) Dr. Abdul Jabbar told APP that DHA Dengue Sanitary Patrols have detected dengue larvae from various locations of the city and are made vigilant to carry out surveillance in high-risk areas.

He said the dengue larva breeding season is about to start and in time arrangements would be made to prevent dengue spread. He urged citizens to follow preventive measures particularly to cover clean drinking water, place proper lids on water tanks, do not let water to accumulate in the household to avoid dengue larva breeding.