News Desk: A five-day polio booster campaign targeting 350,000 children aged 5 to 10 has been launched in Quetta and four other districts of Balochistan, Health Secretary Mujeeb-ur-Rehman said.
The campaign comes as Balochistan has reported no polio cases for the past 21 months, but health authorities remain concerned about the potential introduction of poliovirus from neighboring countries and other parts of Pakistan.
Speaking at the campaign’s inauguration, Mujeeb-ur-Rehman said continued vaccination and public cooperation were essential to maintaining progress toward polio eradication in Balochistan.
According to the health secretary, the campaign targets 350,000 children between five and 10 years of age, while approximately 5,000 schools and madrassas have also been included in the vaccination drive.
He said polio drops help protect children from the crippling disease and play an important role in breaking the transmission and circulation of poliovirus.
Mujeeb-ur-Rehman urged parents, teachers and heads of madrassas to cooperate with health workers and ensure that eligible children receive polio vaccination during the five-day campaign.
He said the campaign is currently being conducted in the Quetta block, while future vaccination strategies will be determined based on environmental samples and campaign data.
Monthly meetings chaired by the Balochistan Chief Secretary are also being held to monitor the province’s polio situation and review the effectiveness of ongoing measures, he added.
The health secretary said the booster campaign could be expanded to other districts of Balochistan if necessary, with health authorities currently focusing on areas where additional vaccination is considered important.
