Daily Times

As many as 91,000 children under the age of five in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa missed polio drops during the seven-day police vaccination drive started on January 16 in the province, disclosed a report of the health department. The report said that more than 71530 children were not present at their houses at the time of vaccination in 36 districts of the province while 20305 parent refused to administer polio drops to their children.

It said that a target of vaccinating 7.459 million children was set for the week-long campaign out of which 7.455 million children were given the anti-polio drops and vitamin-A. It said that majority of the refusal cases were reported from Peshawar where 7,352 parents refused to get their children vaccinated. Similarly, 10,898 children were not present at home during the visit of polio teams.

North Waziristan was the second district of the province where 2919 parents refused polio vaccination to their children, followed by Bannu with 2251 refusal cases. The other districts of refusal cases included Charsadda with 215 cases, DI Khan 1674 cases, Hangu nine cases, Haripur two cases, Karak 742 case, Khyber 206 cases, Kohat 161 cases, Lakki Marwat 1437 cases, Mardan 934 cases, Mohmand 1241 cases, Nowshera 220 cases, Swabi 400 cases, Swat five cases, Tank 304 cases, Torghar four cases and South Waziristan 229.

The report further said that 1144 vulnerable children missed the dose in Abbottabad, 2929 in Bajaur, 4622 in Bannu, 639 in Batagram, 887 in Buner, 3772 in Charsadda, 735 in Chitral Lower, 721 in Chitral Upper, 8294 in DI Khan, 3720 in Dir Lower, 784 in Dir Upper, 986 in Hangu, 1422 in Haripur, 1814 in Karak, 2976 in Khyder, 1539 in Kohat, 50 in Kohistan Lower.