Daily Times

KHYBER AGENCY: Following the death of two children due to alleged expired polio vaccination, the campaign has been temporarily halted in Khyber Agency,health officials said on Friday.

Agency Surgeon Dr Niaz Khan Afridi told Daily Times that theWorld Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) Khyber Agency chapter officials have directed all employees to halt the anti-polio campaign in Khyber Agency. He said directives have been issued to the concern health officials.

He said the decision was taken after the death incidents of two children due to died of expired anti-polio drops in Shalobar area of Bars tehsil in Khyber agency two days ago.

Doctor Niaz said a special WHO officials teams accompanied by political Agent of Khyber agency Khalid Mehmood and Brigadier Saeed visited the bereaved families and they condoled for the departed souls. The team has collected blood samples of the affected families and the used polio drops.

He said they have sent the collected evidences to Islamabad for examination. He said they would be able to made the real causes of the children’s death public after the laboratory examination. He said they have set a target to administer anti-polio drops to 0.2 Million children in Khyber agency in the coming days.

The health official said the anti-polio drive has been halted for the time being to avoid any propaganda spread against Polio vaccination. He said all the polio staffs were asked for standby in all hospitals and Expected Program Immunization (EPI) centers in Khyber Agency.

Its noteworthy to mention here that two days ago two children have died while 10 other fall unconscious in Bara Khyber Agency due to administering them expired vaccines.