(mnm.com.pk) A campaign to vaccinate children under the age of five has been launched in Pakistan today.
Image source: Online: A lady health worker giving anti-polio vaccine drops to a child in Islamabad, Pakistan
More than 40 million children under the age of five will be vaccinated against polio. About 285,000 frontline workers will go door-to-door in all 156 districts across the country to be vaccinated against polio.
The government has assured parents that all corona virus SOPs will be strictly followed during the campaign.
The polio program helpline numbers are: 0346-7776546 and 1166.
During the five-day campaign, 20 million children between the ages of two and five will be vaccinated against polio.
According to a Punjab Health Department spokesman, 120,000 health workers will take part in the campaign.
So far this year no polio cases have been reported in Punjab. Last year, 14 children contracted the disease.
Nine lakh children under the age of five will be vaccinated against polio during a week-long campaign. Of the 900,000 children vaccinated against polio, about 2.2 million live in Karachi.
Sindh Health Minister Dr. Azra Pechoho inaugurated the province-wide polio campaign at the Emergency Operations Center.
The spokesperson of EOC Sindh said that the difference in the campaigns from March to July as a result of the epidemic has left a gap of immunity in children which we have been addressing through monthly polio campaigns since August 2020.
No new polio cases have been recorded in Sindh this year. Last year, 22 children were infected with the virus.
More than 6.4 million children up to the age of five will be vaccinated during the five-day campaign.
According to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Emergency Operations Center, about 30,000 teams will go door-to-door to vaccinate children.
The EOC added that polio teams would also be available at bus stops, railway stations, Afghan refugee camps, and other public places so that every child could be vaccinated against polio. Twenty-two cases of polio were detected in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa last year and none this year.
Balochistan
The only known case of polio in the country this year was reported in Balochistan. Twenty-six children contracted the disease last year.
Despite this, no official details of the immunization campaign in Balochistan have been released. There have been reports that the drive has been postponed, however, Samaa Digital could not confirm the news.
Gilgit-Baltistan
More than 242,000 children up to the age of five will be vaccinated in the region.
A total of 1690 teams have been deployed by the health department for this purpose. No polio cases have been reported in Gilgit-Baltistan since 2017.
Azad Jammu and Kashmir
During the five-day campaign, the polio campaign will target more than 660,000 children. According to the health department, 2,000 mobile teams and 397 fixed teams have been deployed for the drive, and 124 transit points have also been set up.
No case of polio has been reported in Azad Jammu and Kashmir since 2015.
