Nationwide Anti-polio Campaign Continues

Nationwide anti-polio campaign continues

A five-day nationwide door to door polio immunization campaign continued on Thursday to vaccinate 37.74 million under five year age children

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Sep, 2017 ) : A five-day nationwide door to door polio immunization campaign continued on Thursday to vaccinate 37.74 million under five year age children.

According to an official, this first 2017-18 low transmission season drive was launched in all the districts and agencies of the country with a few local operational adjustments. He said that out of total, 18.76 million children would be immunized in Punjab, 8.6 million in Sindh, 5.6 million in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 2.4 million in Balochistan, 1.034 million in FATA, 0.74 million in AJK, 0.234 million in Gilgit Baltistan and 0.312 million children in Islamabad by utilizing around 42 million doses of bOPV.

He said that in the core reservoir areas covered through Community Based Vaccination (CBV) approach, it would be a five days campaign and two days catchup, while in the mobile team areas, there would be a three days campaign and 1-2 day catchup.

He said that a total of 250,000 personnel would strive to achieve the set targets across the country including 23,250 Area Incharges, 7,896 UC Medical Officers, 182,787 Mobile, 10,122 Fixed and 11,220 Transit team members.

The official said that the current polio epidemiology in the country was best ever observed. Cases have declined from 306 in 2014 to 54 in 2015 and only 20 in 2016. He said that momentum was maintained in 2017 where the current case count of four compares to 16 same point in time during 2016.

All teams have been asked to strive hard for best ever nationwide campaign setting the foundation of wiping out the virus from the last remaining areas. National Task Force under Prime Minister as well as the national and provincial political and religious leadership had also requested all sectors especially the parents to fully facilitate frontline workers in this noble cause, he added.