Daily Times

LAHORE: An anti-polio drive is going to start in 11 district of Punjab today (Monday), said Punjab Minister for Primary and Secondary Healthcare Khawaja Imran Nazir on Sunday. “The campaign is part of the ‘Case Response’ to the polio cases reported in Lodhran and positive environmental samples in Multan,” said the minister. The districts where campaign will be held include Dera Ghazi Khan, Muzaffargarh, Rajanpur, Khanewal, Lodhran, Toab Tek Singh, Vehari, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Multan and 37 union councils of Sahiwal. Primary and Secondary Healthcare Secretary Ali Jan Khan said that over 5.9 million children below five years of age will be vaccinated during the campaign. “The Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department has made elaborate arrangements to vaccinate children, and has constituted mobile teams, which would visit house to house to ensure all children get two drops of polio vaccine.” He said that special teams had also been deployed at the inter-provincial border crossings, major bus stands, railway stations and shrines to ensure that not a single child is missed” “Polio eradication campaigns will continue until the virus is completely eliminated,” said Emergency Operation Coordinator official Dr Munir Ahmed.