Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid Urges Parents To Ignore Propaganda Against Polio Vaccination

Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid urges parents to ignore propaganda against polio vaccination

Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid Monday urged media to support present government in addressing hard-core polio refusals and urged religious leaders and all stakeholders to convince parents to vaccinate their children and take up the issue as a national cause

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Feb, 2020 ) :Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid Monday urged media to support present government in addressing hard-core polio refusals and urged religious leaders and all stakeholders to convince parents to vaccinate their children and take up the issue as a national cause.

Talking to a private news channel, She emphasized the need for countering propaganda against polio vaccine specially on social media, saying collective efforts were need of the hour to save new generation from crippling virus.

She urged the entire nation to actively participate in the ongoing anti-polio drive which would continue from Feb 17 to Feb 21 all across the country.

Yasmin Rashid said media could play an important role in polio eradication by raising public awareness about the disease and importance of vaccination to prevent child deaths and disabilities.

"We have the only challenge to change the mind sets of parents for cooperation with the government who are influenced of the negative propaganda of certain anti-state elements and refused to vaccine their infants that also endangered all the new born children against this chronic disease", she added.

Minister said parent's refusal is the biggest challenge for us to eradicate polio from its soil.

She said government is striving hard to curb anti-polio campaigns.

Health minister said more than one lack officials would administer anti-polio vaccine during the campaign in Punjab.

She said strict security arrangements were made for safety of polio workers across the province, adding, the drive would be strictly monitored.

She regretted that several refusal cases were reported last year. However, she said efforts were under way to convince parents to administer anti-polio vaccine to their children.

She urged the parents not to pay any attention to rumors regarding the polio vaccine and to ensure their children to administer polio vaccine drops in every campaign.

The PTI government is striving to hit the virus hard through this special campaign. Its top priority is to focus on reaching still missed children through continued improvement in the drive and to protect every missed child from the vital polio vaccine.

Replying to a question, she said government is committed to expand Sehat Insaf Card program to all districts, adding, process of distributing Sehat Insaf Cards among families in 36 districts of Punjab had been completed as a result free-of-cost treatment facilities would be made available to people of the province.