Syed Ali Shah :
Over 6000 chronic refusals were convinced for polio vaccination in Balochistan in the last three months. “Almost 50 percent parents who were chronic refusals convinced”, a well-placed official in the Balochistan health department told Quetta Voice. He requested anonymity since he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Sources at the emergency operation cell (EOC) had revealed over 13,000 chronic refusals in Balochistan. Most of the refusals were reported in the Quetta block, which comprises Chaman, Killa Abdullah, Pishin, and Quetta districts. This development has come after Balochistan completed a year without any polio case. The province had reported one case of the crippling virus in the Killa Abdullah district on February 15, 2021.
“Our committees comprising religious scholars, teachers and tribal elders convinced the parents”, the official mentioned. He said the members of the committees visited all houses of the polio vaccination chronic refusal parents in Balochistan.
Over 2.5 million children to be provided polio drops in Balochistan
The health department, EOC, UNICEF, and other concerned departments are all set to launch the polio campaign from tomorrow (Monday) across Balochistan. “Over 2.5 million children under the age of five years would be administered anti-polio drops”, Noor ul Haq Baloch, Secretary Health Balochistan said.
Mr. Baloch informed that over 10,000 teams have been established across Balochistan to make sure provision of anti-polio drops to children under the age of five years. “We are trying to reach every child”, the Secretary of Health vowed.
Polio drops ratio 97 per cent in Balochistan
The ratio of administering anti-polio drops to the children in every campaign in Balochistan is almost 97 percent, Hameedullah Nasar, the Chief of the EOC stated. He said coordination among all departments has been improved to make sure the success of the campaign.
Balochistan government has also taken strict security measures to avoid the occurrence of any untoward incident during the campaign. Police, Levies and Frontier Corps personnel will be guarding the anti-polio teams across Balcohistan.
