Daily Times

LAHORE: Punjab would hold a three-day anti-polio campaign in 15 selected districts from tomorrow, said Advisor to Chief Minister on Health Khawaja Salman Rafique on Saturday.

Rafique said the campaign is part of the Sub National Immunisation Day and would target the selected 15 districts deemed to be at greater risk of poliovirus transmission.

These districts include Lahore, Multan, Rawalpindi, Dera Ghazi Khan, Muzaffargarh, Rajanpur, Rahim Yar Khan and Bahawalpur, Okara, Faisalabad, Hafizbad, Lodhran, Toba Tek Singh, Jhang and Chiniot.

He further said the Punjab Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) has made close coordination with these districts to ensure timely micro planning, mapping of high-risk mobile population and vaccine supply.

Primary and Secondary Healthcare Secretary Ali Jan Khan said that the campaign would target 9,445,348 children of below five years of age in 1,547 union councils of these districts. He said polio has been declared a national emergency and at district level, respective DCOs are taking complete ownership of polio eradication efforts.

Punjab Health Services Director General Dr Mukhtar Hussain Syed said a total of 23,152 teams would perform their duties in the campaign, which would include 19,738 mobile teams, 2,155 fixed and 2,159 transit teams.

He said special focus has been laid on the movement of the population at inter-provincial borders, especially those coming from the areas having poliovirus circulation.

EPI Director Dr Munir Ahmed requested parents to ensure their children get polio drops. He said parents might also take their children to fixed EPI centres where staff is available to vaccinate for nine vaccine preventable diseases as well. He said in case of teams not visiting the area, parents can contact the helpline (0800 99000) during the campaign days.

Punjab has largely been able to interrupt poliovirus transmission from high-risk areas and reported two cases out of country of 54 in the 2015. There has been no polio case in 2016 in Punjab so far.