Anti-polio Drive In Punjab Begins

LAHORE, March 8 (Muzaffargarh.City – 08th Mar, 2017 ) : Anti-polio campaign in 14 districts of the province started on Wednesday on the directions of Punjab Health department. The polio eradication teams of Primary and Secondary Health Department Punjab was visiting house-to-house to vaccinate over 8.62 million children under five years age in 14 districts of Punjab.

The campaign has been launched in Lahore, DG Khan, Multan, Muzaffargarh, Rajanpur, Rawalpindi, RY Khan, where as in Sheikhupura, Khanewal, Lodhran, TT Singh, Vehari, Bahawalpur and Sahiwal districts it would be held in selected union councils.

Meanwhile, Punjab’s Emergency Operation Coordinator Dr Munir Ahmed said a recent polio case from Lodhran and persistent positive environmental samples were a cause of concern.

“Positive samples in Rawalpindi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan and DG Khan and now a polio case in Lodhran highlighted the need to reach out to all children,” he said.

Punjab completed 2016 without a polio case. But a four-month child from Lodhran ended Punjab’s polio-free period of 14 months, he said and added that a total of 20 cases were reported in Pakistan during 2016.

These were 8 from Sindh, 8 from KP, 2 from FATA and 2 from Balochistan. Globally, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria are the three countries still having polio cases, he added. He said Punjab was focusing on southern Punjab districts as well as Rawalpindi and Lahore because of persistent positive environmental samples.