KARACHI: Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah observed Sindh has not reported a single polio case since July 2020 as he along with Health Minister Azra Pechuho inaugurated a province-wide polio vaccination campaign on Monday.
More than nine million children in 30 districts will be vaccinated. They will be administered Vitamin A drops as well.
According to Shah, the polio campaign will continue until December 19.
He encouraged parents to get their children administered and cooperate with the polio teams. “These people are the real heroes and I want to salute them for the jobs they do.”
The minister added that Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only countries in the world where the wild version of the poliovirus continues to spread. “Pakistan’s policy to fight polio is the same. We need to eradicate it completely.”
Apart from Sindh, a five-day polio drive has also begun in 34 districts of Balochistan. According to Hameedullah Nasar, the province’s coordinator of Emergency Operation Centre, around 2.3 million children would be administered polio and vitamin A drops during the campaign.
More than 11,000 teams have been formed to vaccinate children under the age of five.
“We have taken strict security measures to prevent any unforeseen situation as members of Balochistan Levies Force, police, and Frontier Corps will be deployed to protect polio workers,” Nasar added.
Anti-polio campaigns are, on the other hand, already underway in several areas of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
