ISLAMABAD, Nov 04 (APP):A five-day sub-national anti-polio vaccination campaign concluded on Friday during which polio drops were administered to children under the age of five years.
According to spokesperson of the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, during the campaign, over 25 million children under five years of age were vaccinated in 83 districts of Pakistan, including southern Khyber Pakthunkhwa (KP) where the current outbreak was reported.
He said that out of total 83 districts, the children were vaccinated in 21 districts of Sindh, 14 districts of Punjab, 28 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 18 districts of Balochistan and two areas of Islamabad.
Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, Abdul Qadir Patel appreciated the efforts of front line workers and security organizations during the drive. He said that recent polio cases have made Pakistan more determined to fight the virus till its complete elimination.
Qadir Patel said, Pakistan’s Polio Programme continues to work hard to reach zero polio cases, and the recent cases in Pakistan have made us more determined to fight this virus till the end.
He said that Wild Polio Virus Type-1 (WPV1) was detected in environmental samples collected from 11 districts of the country including Bannu, Peshawar, Swat, Nowshera, South Waziristan, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Bahawalpur, Islamabad and Landhi in Karachi.
He said that the next polio immunization drive would be launched from November 21 at national level. The government is making sincere efforts in controlling the disease with the support of its frontline polio workers, he added.
