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MIRPUR (AJK), Dec 16 (APP):The 5-day integrated polio eradication drive commenced across Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Monday, which will be continued till December 20 without any break, official sources have said.
AJK State Health Department sources told APP on Monday that at least 7,42,500 children under five years of age are targeted to be administered the polio vaccine in all 10 districts of the liberated territory, as announced by the state health authorities.
Highlighting the salient features of the drive, the sources said that only in AJK’s metropolis, Muzaffarabad, were over 130,000 children up to five years old targeted to be administered the Polio vaccines during the drive.
At least 3995 mobile teams of para-medical staff will be constituted to visit door to door to administer the polio vaccine drops during the campaign across the liberated territory – where a total of 448 fixed centers at local governments’ hospitals and subordinate health facilities, will be established by the State Polio Eradication Committee of the AJK State Health Services Department with the coordination of the World Health Organization (WHO), the sources revealed.
The total staff participating in the AJK-wide national drive included mobile teams comprising over 5000 workers for visiting door to door to immunize the children of and under 5 years of age with the polio vaccine drops during the campaign, the sources underlined.
The fixed centers would be set up at the state-run hospitals, basic health units, rural health centers as well as various other spots to vaccinate the children with the anti-polio drops, the sources elaborated.
A total of 169 transit points would be set up for conducting the drive drive under the supervision of the concerned area in charge, the sources said.
The state health department’s Polio Eradication Committee had made adequate arrangement to executive the polio-eradication campaign in a befitting manner, the sources said, adding that a total of 844 area in charge would supervise the drive at union council’s level across AJK in 35 tehsils and besides a total of 245 Union Council throughout AJK State.
A central polio control room has been set up in the office of the Provincial Program Manager in AJK State’s metropolis of Muzaffarabad to monitor the drive and receive any complaints.
In lake-side district of Mirpur, at least 76,656 children under 05 years of age will be administered the polio vaccine.
Deputy Commissioner Mirpur, Yasir Riaz Chaudhry inaugurated the campaign administrating anti-polio drops for the children under five years of age at a special camp set up at the District Health Office.
District Health Officer, Dr. Fida Hussain informed the ceremony on this occasion that in the district, over 431 mobile teams of paramedics in all 51 zones would visit door to door besides serving at the 41 fixed centers and the 14 transit points to administer the polio vaccine drops to children under five years.
Earlier, chairing a meeting held here to give the final touches to the arrangements for the scheduled national polio eradication drive in this district, the DHO advised the parents to fully cooperate the mobile teams of paramedics by getting their children administered with the polio vaccine by the mobile paramedical staff teams.
It may be added that the state health authorities claimed that there had been no any case of polio disease to any child detected in any part of Azad Jammu & Kashmir during over last 24 years.