A three-day anti-polio campaign will kick off on November 23 (Wednesday) in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) under the supervision of government officials, commissioners, military and paramilitary forces.
Around 1, 022, 665 children of up to five years of age will be administered polio drops with the help of 4, 146 polio teams including 3, 753 mobile, 292 fixed and 101 transit teams from Nov 23 to 25.
The polio drive will start in some areas of the Mehsud belt of South Waziristan on November 28. The purpose of this delay has been said to be the administration of polio drops to Temporarily Displaced Persons who are returning to their homes.
Coordinator emergency operation FATA said that the remaining children would be specially focused and administering polio drops to every child in every round would help eradicate polio from FATA and Pakistan.
“I believe that the political administration, law enforcement agencies and national and international stakeholders will help achieve our targets of polio vaccination,” he said.
Last year two polio cases were reported in South Waziristan. Both the cases were reported from a family who were recently displaced due to the military operation Zarb-e-Azb.
A total of 18 people from 13 districts have so far been reported as having the crippling disease in 2016. In 2015 the number of polio cases was 49 from 22 districts.