Daily Times

Sehat Muhafiz polio eradication teams of Health Department Punjab will visit door-to-door to vaccinate nearly 6.34 million children less than five years of age in 10 districts of Punjab in a campaign starting from today (Monday).

“The districts include Dera Ghazi Khan, Muzaffargarh, Lahore and Rajanpur. Selected union councils of Bahawalpur, Faisalabad, Multan, Rawalpindi, Rahim Yar Khan and Sheikhupura will also be included in the campaign,” Punjab Emergency Operations Centre for polio eradication coordinator Dr Munir Ahmed said.

He assured parents that polio vaccine was safe, efficacious and approved by the government’s drug regulatory authorities. He emphasised the need for all children to be immunised during every round of immunisation campaign days.

“Multiple doses of polio vaccine are required for a child to be fully protected – sometimes more than 10. Each additional dose further strengthens a child’s immunity level against polio. Parents who do not ensure vaccination of their children are risking health and lives of their own children as well as others around them,” Dr Munir Ahmed said.

“As long as the virus is being detected anywhere in the country, no child is safe from being infected. Any child with low immunity will be where the virus will find refuge. We need to ensure all our children are vaccinated with two drops, every time the vaccine is offered. Parents and caregivers must also make their children fully vaccinated for all antigens,” he said.

Published in Daily Times, August 6^th 2018.