Rawalpindi: Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of District Health Authority Dr Ansar Ishaq has said that a week-long anti-polio drive will commence in the entire district on Monday.

Dr Ishaq told APP that 3,723 teams, including 3,272 mobile teams,289 fixed points, 214 Union council medical officers and 765 area incharges, would administer polio drops to over 947,000 children under five years of age during the campaign from March 13 to 19.

He informed that anti-polio drops would also be administered at 162 transit points while teams would be deputed at toll plazas so that no child could miss immunization.

Meanwhile, Commissioner Rawalpindi Laiqat Ali Chatta directed the official concerned to improve the anti-Polio micro plan devised during the previous campaign. He said the crippling disease was a national issue, and it was the responsibility of all to play an influential role in making the country polio-free. The Commissioner warned the officials that strict action would be taken against those responsible for fake entries.

Laiqat said hiding facts was not a solution to any problem, but it complicated the issue. He informed that no polio sample has tested positive this year; however, he urged more devotion during the campaign.

The Commissioner directed the officials to remain present in the field and ensure no kids could miss immunization. Laiqat further directed to cover the missing and refusal cases by convincing the parents with the help of local community leaders and achieving the target set for the drive.

He added that purpose of frequently launching campaigns was to protect children through protective drops and increase their immunity. He urged the citizens, particularly the parents, to come forward and play their role in eliminating the crippling disease from society.

Anti-polio drive starts in Larkana district

All arrangements have been finalised for the National Immunization Campaign of Polio in which more than 306,950 children of the Larkana district upto the age of five years will be vaccinated.

This was disclosed by the District Health Officer (DHO) Larkana Dr. Syed Attar Hussain Shah here on Sunday evening.

He said 890 mobile teams have been constituted which would visit all the areas including the remote, far-flung areas and flood/rain affected areas of the district to accomplish the task.

He exhorted the parents to be cooperative with the visiting mobile polio teams to make the national anti-polio campaign complete success.