ISLAMABAD: A five-day nationwide polio eradication drive began on Monday to administer vaccine drops to 18.6 million children up to five years of age.
The vaccine officials will be given protective gear for their protection against coronavirus and will be following all WHO-recommended protocols to keep themselves and others safe from the risk of contracting the disease.
According to a statement, during the drive, the trained polio frontline workers will reach every child with essential polio vaccine while adhering to strict health guidelines such as wearing a mask, using hand sanitiser, and maintaining the minimum distance advised during the campaign.
In Sindh, vaccination teams will administer drops to 9.4 million children.
According to a spokesman of the Punjab Health Department, during the campaign, polio teams would go door-to-door and administer drops.
Teams will also be available at bus stops, railway stations and hospitals for administering anti-polio drops.
Strict security measures have been taken for the security of polio teams.
Pakistan is one of the two polio-endemic countries in the world along with Afghanistan. The country is facing a challenging situation in polio eradication with the upsurge in the number of polio cases.
Last year, 83 polio cases were reported across the country, including 24 from Balochistan, 22 each from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh, and 14 from Punjab.
The government’s efforts to rid the country of polio have lately suffered setbacks due to attacks on vaccinators and police personnel guarding them. The deadly violence is also cited as a factor for the upsurge in new cases that had dropped to only 12 cases in 2018.
Strict security measures had been taken for the campaign and personnel of Balochistan Levies force, police and Frontier Corps would move with all teams of vaccinations.
In traditionally conservative parts of the country, many see the vaccine as a Western-led conspiracy to sterilise children. To deal with the situation, religious scholars, tribal elders and other people who have influence in their areas would motivate parents to get their children vaccinated.
