UPPER DIR: More than 150,000 children in district Upper Dir have been administrated polio vaccine during the four day campaign as polio workers and officials of the district administration provided their services in extreme chilly weather in the heavy snowfall covered area.
Though there had to postponed polio campaign in two tehsils including Brawal and Sheringal due to heavy snowfall in the area. The administration said that the campaign would be started immediately when weather become favorable in those teshils. However, despite lots of difficulties especially harsher weather where the temperature went down to -9 degree these polio workers and the officers of the district administration rally put their commitment in delivering the campaign in the two tehsils of the district including Dir and Wari.
Total of 500 mobile teams had been made for administering polio drops to children in the district and apart from it monitoring, transit and fix teams were also present at various points and places to ensure that no child remain from polio drops. Deputy Commissioner of the Upper Dir Muhammad Usman Mehsud said that they had try their best to make sure running of the polio campaign in Brawal and Sheringal tehsils too however due to extremely hard weather and heavy snowfall in the area the campaign was not possible in those tehsils. “Polio drops would also be given to children in those remaining areas very soon as weather does clear there,” said Mehsud.
A polio worker said that they were performing their duties in spite of snow was falling on them. He said that he believed he was not performing only polio duty but he really wanted to serve the children of the area and put his contribution in protecting them from crippling disease of polio.
“My inside and motive has got satisfaction during performing polio duty in the chilly and hard weather and said to myself that insha Allah, Allah will forgive me for this virtue,” he said. Another polio worker said that despite heavy snowfall they then performed their national and religious responsibility with full of determination and enthusiasm.
The District Health Officer of Upper Dir Dr Abid said that he had directed his subordinates to provide each and every facility to those polio workers especially for that particularly campaign. He said that the health department was always making its efforts in ending the crippling polio disease from the district and area as well from the country.
People also appreciated the commitment of the polio workers and the administration that provided vaccines to their children despite in the harshest and chilliest weather. Muhammad Akbar, resident of Usheri Dara, said that he had become very happy to see the polio workers on his house door early in the morning where snow was falling at the moment. He said that the disease might be ended soon if the enthusiasm remained the same like that.