RAWALPINDI: The Health Department on Saturday said that the polio virus may be rearing its head again in the Nullah Lai area.
Health Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr Khalid Mehmood said that the department has put Nullah Lai on high alert after water samples from two areas – Safdarabad and Dhok Dalal – were taken and sent for testing.
“The World Health Organisation (WHO) will confirm the presence of poliovirus in the water,” he said. However, sources within the Health Department said that the presence of the polio virus has already been confirmed in the area.
“The polio vaccine is the only way to save children from getting infected with the virus, which enters the body through the respiratory system,” Dr Mehmood said. The Health Department will carry out an anti-polio drive in the area from September 24 to September 27.
However, it has emerged that the department does not have any health workers and thus will be reaching out to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to help in the anti-polio drive.
