RAWALPINDI, Aug 18 (APP):An anti-polio campaign will commence in Rawalpindi from September 01 to 04, during which children aged one to five years across the district will be administered protective polio drops. A target has been set to vaccinate over 800,000 children in Rawalpindi district during this campaign, with teams going door-to-door to fulfill their duties.
This was briefed during an important meeting, chaired by senior PML N leader Tahira Aurangzeb MNA, and Deputy Commissioner Dr. Hassan Waqar Cheema. Officers from the Health Department, Education Department, World Health Organization (WHO), and other relevant departments attended the meeting.
During the briefing, the CEO Health informed the meeting that two districts of Punjab, including Rawalpindi, have been moved from the red zone to the yellow zone due to their excellent performance in the anti-polio campaign, which is an honor for the district.
Deputy Commissioner Dr. Hassan Waqar Cheema said that Rawalpindi has a significant population of migrants, which contributes to cases of polio, dengue, and other diseases.
‘Due to the administration’s efforts, the number of cases remains very low”, he said.
DC directed that measures at the micro-level should be made more effective and warned that strict action would be taken against officers or staff showing negligence or laxity, as they would not be entitled to any leniency.
Tahira Aurangzeb emphasized that special attention should be given to the union councils in Rawalpindi where a large number of migrants from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other peripheral areas reside, ensuring that not a single child is deprived of polio drops.
Additionally, the meeting conducted a detailed review of the dengue situation. The District Coordinator for Dengue provided a briefing, following which the Deputy Commissioner made it clear that all departments must perform their responsibilities with full commitment, and immediate action would be taken against personnel showing poor performance.
After thorough deliberation, directives were issued to devise the best strategy for the anti-polio campaign and dengue control and to ensure its strict implementation.
The district administration and Health Department have appealed to parents and guardians to ensure that their children under five years of age receive polio drops during the forthcoming anti-polio campaign so that future generations can be permanently protected from this debilitating disease.
