Four-day Anti-polio Campaign To Vaccinate Over 3 Lac Children Begins

DERA ISMAIL KHAN, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th Aug, 2022 ) :A four-day anti-polio campaign was kicked off on Monday to vaccinate more than 300,000 children up to the age of five years across the district Dera Ismail Khan.

According to the district health department about 1598 vaccinators have been trained to give polio drops to children at houses or other places including bus terminals, exit and entry points and markets.

Giving details, the department said the staff involved in the drive, including mobile teams, to visit door to door while fixed centers had been set up at the hospitals, basic health units, rural health centers as well as at various other spots to vaccinate children.

Deputy District Health Officer Dr Hafiz Muhammad Gul Farooq Bhetani said the district had been divided into two blocks, which would be visited by anti-polio teams to vaccinate the targeted children population in those areas.

He said the first block consisted of Tehsil Dera, Tehsil Prova and Tehsil Pharpur in which the drive would continue from August 15 to 18 to administer anti-polio drops to children.

While the second block which comprises Tehsil Kulachi, Tehsil Daraban and merged tehsil Darazinda would be covered during the four-day campaign from August 18 to 22.

He said that all the necessary items had been handed over to the polio workers teams and added that follow-up efforts were also made to ensure that each child up to the age of five years had been administered anti-polio drops during the campaign.

The health officer said the teams had been trained in extensive training programmes, adding there was no shortage of the anti-polio vaccine and it had already been supplied to the specific points for administration in the drive.

He said the arrangements were reviewed in meetings to make the entire drive a success in a peaceful manner.

He added, an effective advocacy campaign was being pursued in order to encourage parents to come forward and play their role in ensuring vaccination of their children to eliminate the disease from society.

He said adequate security measures had been made to conduct the drive in a peaceful atmosphere and successfully reach out to the targeted population and prevent our young generation from the crippling disease.