World Health Organisation (WHO) has verified the presence of polio virus in nullahs in Rawalpindi, especially in sewerage water in the Pakhtun settlements.
According to sources the WHO had sent samples of sewerage and nullah water to a laboratory for testing and confirmed the presence of polio virus in the water.
The district administration officials said that residents of the Pakhtun settlements had not cooperated with anti-polio teams and had not allowed them to administer polio drops to their children.
The district administration has devised a special strategy for the Pakhtun population in the upcoming polio drive, and deployed Pushto speaking women. Moreover, extra doses would be administered to children in high risk zones.
Rawalpindi DCO Saqib Zafar said the registration of the Pakhtun children revealed that 20,000 children were currently residing in Pakhtun areas, while the number of children in high risk areas was 91,000. He further said that anti-polio teams would be deployed at 13 points instead of six points at Rawalpindi’s entry points. The city would soon be made polio free, the DCO added.
