Anti-polio drive to start on August 22 in Punjab

LAHORE: The national anti-polio campaign will start in 36 districts of Punjab on August 22. In three high-risk districts, Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Faisalabad, the drive will continue by August 28, while in the other 33 districts, it will conclude on August 26. 

The authorities have set a target of vaccinating as many as 22 million children up to the age of five years. 

A meeting jointly presided over by Akhtar Malik and Kamran Ali Afzal, Chief Secretary Of Punjab, was held to review the arrangements for the upcoming drive at Civil Secretariat.

Imran Sikandar Baloch, Secretary Health, representatives of international organizations working for polio eradication, and relevant officials attended the meeting. At the same time, all the divisional commissioners and deputy commissioners participated through video links. 

Akhtar Malik directed that the anti-polio campaign be made successful. He asked the deputy commissioners to personally monitor the anti-polio campaign, besides paying special attention to the coverage of missed children in the high-risk districts. 

Chief Secretary Kamran Ali Afzal said that the success rate of quality check sampling (LQAS) should be more than 80 percent. He said that the country has to be made polio-free for children's health and a safe future, adding that there is a need to continue working with a national spirit. He said that the polio teams must inform the people about preventive measures related to dengue. He mentioned that the cooperation of international organizations in efforts to eradicate polio is commendable. 

Imran Sikandar Baloch gave a briefing at the meeting. He said the coverage rate in the anti-polio campaign completed in seven districts in June was 96 percent. He said that 85,193 mobile teams had been formed for the anti-polio campaign in August, and more than two lakh polio workers would perform their duties.