Anti polio campaign to begin in 15 districts of Balochistan from Monday
Health Desk :
QUETTA: An anti-polio campaign would begin from January 24 (Monday) in 15 districts of Balochistan. During the campaign, around 1.5 million children under the age of five years would be administered anti-polio drops.
“This is a five-day anti-polio campaign”, Sohail ur Rehman Baloch, the Commissioner Quetta Division told a news conference on Friday. Mr. Baloch informed that 6,683 teams were formed in all 15 districts to make sure the success of the campaign.
Balochistan had reported one case of poliovirus from the Killa Abdullah district in January 2021. This was the only case reported across Pakistan. Since April 2021, poliovirus was not found in the environmental samples in Killa Abdullah and other parts of the province.
Children under the age of five years prone to the crippling virus
“Children under the age of five years are prone to the crippling virus”, the Commissioner said. He urged the parents, politicians, religious scholars, teachers, to join hands and eradicate the virus from the country.
Mr. Baloch the anti-polio campaign would be launched in Quetta, Pishin, Killa Abdullah, Chaman, Chaghi, Lasbella, Khuzdar, and other districts of the province.
Foolproof security arrangements in all districts of Balochistan to avoid the occurrence of any untoward incident during the campaign. Police and Levies personnel would escort the polio team volunteers providing polio drops to the children.
Refusal main challenge for the government
The government has also formed committees on the district level to convince the parents refusing polio drops to their children. Senior officials, religious scholars, politicians, and members of civil society are part of the committees trying to bring an end to chronic refusals in the province.
The number of refusals in the Quetta block, which comprises Quetta, Pishin, Killa Abdullah, and Chaman is high as compared to other parts of the province. Sources within the health department revealed that the number of refusals is more than 10,000 in the Quetta block.
