A five-day campaign starts today to eliminate polio. It seeks to vaccinate 16.5 million children under the age of five years.
Total and Incomplete Inoculation
The districts where the drive will be conducted in whole are 36 while in parts are 30. These include Islamabad, 23 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 20 of Balochistan, 16 Sindh, and six Punjab districts.
A Call to Action from the National Health Coordinator
Dr. Malik Mukhtar, the Prime Minister’s Focal Person for National Health. Appealed to parents to ensure that their children are vaccinated against polio. He said that four children have been affected by the virus so far this year. Which has always been detected in sewage samples; therefore, it means that kids are still at risk. This initiative is being taken ahead of Eid-ul-Azha so that the virus may not spread among people during the festival & more children can be saved.
Government’s Commitment to Polio Eradication
“Polio eradication is our topmost priority. We want to make Pakistan a polio-free country,” said Dr Mukhtar, adding, “This is our fifth campaign this year.”
Polio Campaign Schedule in Balochistan
According to the provincial Health Secretary, the poliovirus campaign in Balochistan province will start on June 3 in 14 out of 20 districts. While the remaining six district campaigns will commence on June 8 due to the expected heatwave. During these drives, over 1.8 million children will be administered with drops.
Significance of the Campaign
Polio remains a major threat to children’s health, and as such, efforts must continue until it is eradicated. The presence of the virus in sewage points out its sustained circulation within communities, thus posing ongoing risks to many individuals who come into contact with such environments daily or occasionally across wide areas, including those without signs or symptoms indicative but capable of transmitting infection through their feces, etcetera. This campaign is, therefore, very crucial to control the spread of this disease among our population, eventually leading towards its total elimination.
Community Involvement
Parents and communities have a vital role to play in ensuring the success of any polio eradication campaign. It is important for all members of society to support vaccination teams and ensure that every child under five years old receives the vaccine against this crippling disease which can be prevented through immunization efforts alone, said health officials who also stressed that joint work like this will save future generations from suffering such disabilities caused by preventable illnesses like poliovirus infections.
