Anti-polio Drive Started In Six District Of Balochistan

QUETTA, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Nov, 2022 ) :A seven-day Anti-polio drive kicked off in six districts of Balochistan on Monday during which 0.978 million children below the age of five would be vaccinated.

"Anti polio campaign was start in 203 union councils in six districts of Balochistan," Coordinator of Balochistan Emergency Operation Center Sayed Zahid Shah said in his statement.

EOC Coordinator said all arrangements have been finalized to launch the drive in the high-risk areas of the province.

"Around 4160 teams were deployed who will administer polio drops to the children below the age of five," the polio campaign was started in respective districts including Quetta, Pishin, Killa Abdullah, Chaman, Mastung and Zhob districts.

It is pertinent to mention here that no case of polio virus has been reported in Balochistan for the last 19 months as polio virus has not been reported in the environment of Balochistan since April 2021.

However, the EOC Coordinator feared "the presence of polio virus in other areas of the country and in Afghanistan is a huge challenge for the province of Balochistan." He called upon the parents to assist with the polio workers during the polio prevention campaign. "Due to the unflinching support from all segments of the society, spread of polio virus has effectively been controlled," He termed the role of the religious scholars imperative for complete eradication of the polio from the country.

It might be recalled that as many as 21 polio cases have been reported in Pakistan during the year 2022.

About security to the polio teams, Syed Zahid Shah said fool proof security was providing to all the teams during the drive.

"Personnel of law enforcement agencies including Frontier Corps, Balochistan Levies, and Police have been deployed to ensure security to the visiting polio teams in all four districts of the province," he maintained.