LAHORE: Following the polio drama in Peshawar, more than 13,000 parents have denied administering anti-polio drops to their children in the drive against this crippling disease, in Punjab on Wednesday.
According to Coordinator Emergency Centres for Polio Elevation Program Salman Ghani, the anti-polio drive has suffered serious blow in the province as thousands of parents have refused to administer anti-polio drops to their children across Punjab, in the wake of Peshawar Polio drama.
Peshawar was gripped in a panic Monday morning as rumours spread like a wildfire that the anti-polio vaccine had caused children to fall ill and faint in several areas of the city.
On the first day of the campaign, 13million children were administered anti-polio drops, while several refrains and denied the teams following the rumours of Peshawar.
Detailing the number of the parents who denied vaccinating their children during anti-polio campaign city wise, Salman Ghani said 5,600 parents said “no” to polio teams in Rawalpindi.
In Lahore and Attock, 600 and 500 parents refused to anti-polio teams, who visited them for administering anti-polio drops to their children.
“The children who were left in the campaign will be administered anti-polio drops in next phase”, Ghani said and urged parents not to take rumours seriously and get their children administered anti-polio drops to save them from the crippling disease of polio.