ISLAMABAD: A new polio vaccination campaign, aiming to inoculate more than 9.5 million children under the age of five, will begin in 41 districts across the country from today (Monday).

The polio outbreak response campaign comes on the back of three cases reported from Balochistan and Sindh last week, taking the total number of cases since the start of the year to eight.

The house-to-house campaign will be held in 16 districts of Balochistan, 11 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, eight districts of Sindh, five districts of Punjab and Islamabad.

In a statement, the newly appointed prime minister’s focal person on polio, Ayesha Raza Farooq, urged parents to vaccinate their children to ensure that they are protected from the crippling disease.

Vaccinators aiming to inoculate 9.5m children in 41 districts

“Keeping children safe from polio and driving this virus out of the country is the government’s top priority,” she said. “We are sending polio vaccination teams to citizens’ doorsteps, especially in areas where the virus is present. Make sure that you open your doors for these health workers and get your children vaccinated.”

Muhammad Anwarul Haq, the coordinator for the National Emergency Operations Center for Polio Eradication, said the crucial campaign is being held in areas where virus transmission is posing a risk to children’s wellbeing.

“The Polio Programme has held five vaccination campaigns this year to boost children’s immunity. With the virus present in many districts, it is urgent for parents to ensure that their children do not miss any opportunity to vaccinate their children and participate in every polio campaign, considering it a national duty,” he said.

The seven-day vaccination campaign will cover 16 districts of Balochistan, including Loralai, Qila Saifullah, Duki, Usta Muhammad, Mastung, Sibi, Naseerabad, Kalat, Zhob, Sherani, Barkhan, Musa Khel, Lasbela, Chaman, Qila Abdullah and the Sanjavi tehsil in Ziarat district. Six of the total eight cases have been reported from Balochistan with the presence of virus also detected in sewage samples throughout the province.

The vaccinators will attempt to administer vaccination drops to 951,488 children. The campaign will involve 3,884 teams, 326 fixed sites, and 222 transit sites. Security measures have been put in place for the safety of health workers, according to Balochistan’s Emergency Operation Centre (EOC).

The presence of poliovirus has been confirmed in environmental samples, detected in sewage water, posing a serious health risk to innocent children, the EOC added. It said the campaign is being conducted in response to this threat.

Saleem Shahid in Quetta also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, July 1st, 2024