Amid tight security, the first anti-polio drive of the year will be launched in Quetta and other districts of Balochistan today (Monday).
Emergency Operation Cell (EOC) Coordinator Dr Syed Saifur Rehman said in a press conference in Quetta that 2.4 million children below the age of five would be administered polio drops during the anti-polio campaign.
More than 55,000 children of Afghan refugees would also be administered polio drops during the campaign.
The EOC in collaboration with health department and other partners has established 786 fixed sites and 321 transit points to ensure provision of polio drops to children.
A total of seven polio cases were reported from Balochistan during the year 2015. Five of these cases were reported from Quetta. Many parents refuse to allow administering of polio drops to their children.
The EOC Balochistan recently said that refusals had declined by over 91 per cent in the province during the recent anti-polio campaign after the health department formed committees to convince the parents.
An EOC official claimed that parents of 12,607 children below five years of age were convinced by polio volunteers, religious scholars and officials to administer polio drops to their kids.