Five-day Polio Immunization Campaign Starts

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Dec, 2019 ) :A five-day national anti-polio immunization drive started on Monday to vaccinate 39.5 million children up to five year of age to protect them this crippling disease.

According to Coordinator National Emergency Operations Centre, Dr Rana Muhammad Safdar, over 260,000 frontline polio workers are going door-to-door to ensure all children under the age of five receive the polio vaccine.

He said that all arrangements have been completed so that all children can be immunized across the country and stakeholders have been fully engaged to ensure that the campaign is successful.

"It is possible for Pakistan to eradicate polio with the support of the community. I urge all parents and caregivers to ensure their children are vaccinated." He said that communities play an essential role to ensure that the national campaign reaches every single child under the age of five. He urged parents and caregivers to cooperate with the vaccinators who administer the polio vaccine by opening their doors to them.

If any child is missed from the vaccine between December 16 to 20, parents can request the health authorities to receive it. He said that the Pakistan Polio Eradication Initiative has initiated Sehat Tahhafuz Helpline to assist the reporting of missed children during the national immunization campaign.

He asked the parents and caregivers to contact Sehat Tahhafuz Helpline at 1166 and register their concerns regarding the missed children.

He said that polio was a highly infectious disease caused by poliovirus mainly affecting children under the age of five.

It invades the nervous system and can cause paralysis or even death. He added while there is no cure for polio, vaccination is the most effective way to protect children from this crippling disease.

Each time a child under the age of five is vaccinated, their protection against the virus is increased. He said that repeated immunizations have protected millions of children from polio, allowing almost all countries in the world to become polio free.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Dr Zafar Mirza assured that the vaccine is completely safe and it is essential to immunize our children to keep them protected against polio.

He added for the complete eradication of polio, it is of utmost importance that all children up to the age of five are administered with the polio drops. He added parents should fulfill their responsibility in this regard as Pakistan remains one of the last two countries in the world, alongside Afghanistan, where poliovirus continues to circulate actively.

He said that there was a strong national and international commitment to eradicate polio. It is a collective responsibility to ensure all children are protected and vaccination is the only and best protection against the poliovirus.

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