PESHAWAR, Jan 05 (APP): Advisor to the caretaker Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Health, Dr. Riaz Anwar inaugurated the current year’s first polio vaccination campaign by administering drops to two children at Police Services Hospital, Civil Secretariat here Friday, with a target of making 2024 as `year of complete eradication’ of the crippling disease from the country.
Officials of Health Department including Deputy Coordinator EOC, Muhammad Zeeshan, Sarfaraz Khan from WHO and Shadab Younas from UNICEF Communication were present on the occasion.
Talking to newsmen, Dr. Riaz apprised that the polio drive would be carried out in the whole of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in two phases. The first phase will commence on January 8 to 14, next wherein polio drops will be administered in all the districts except Lakki Marwat, Upper and Lower Orakzai district.
The second phase of the campaign will kick off on January 15 to 19, next for coverage of children in Lakki Marwat, Upper and Lower Orakzai district, Dr. Riaz told media persons.
In all a total of 7.4 million children will be covered in polio drive by around 32,000 teams. Around 50,000 police personnel will provide security to polio teams, he added.
Dr. Riaz expressed the hope for better results of this campaign in wake of cooperation by religious scholars especially in Bannu district where three polio cases out of total four were registered in 2023.
He said he personally visited the Southern region and met with religious scholars with request of cooperation in convincing parents for inoculation of their children.
He admitted that still refusal by parents were faced in some areas, but efforts would be made by involving religious leaders and community elders for convincing them to cover all the children.
We also have challenges from security point of view due to attack on polio teams, but are determined to continue our struggle for protection of children and coming generation from this crippling disease. It is very ironical that polio is eradicated from the globe except from Pakistan and Afghanistan, he remarked.
In response to a question about checking of cross border movement between Pakistan and Afghanistan, Dr. Riaz said teams have been deputed at different points for administration of polio drops to arriving children. He said religious scholars are fully cooperating with government by throwing light on importance of polio drop in their Friday sermons.
He also requested the media person to play their effective role in removal of misconception among people about polio drops. He said media men should highlight the loss and suffering being faced by a child after contracting polio and difficulties his family and relatives faced due to disability.
In response to a question about preventive measures in the wake of infection of new variant of crorona virus, Advisor to CM on Health said from Tuesday (January 9) separate space would be reserved in ICUs of major hospital for treatment of patients.
The prevention is the same as adopted during corona infection and people are advised to use mask, keep distance, don’t stay in congested areas, ensure crossing of fresh air in room, regular hand washing etc, he added.