Six more polio cases confirmed

One-day anti-polio drive launched in Peshawar, drive in Gilgit-Baltistan to begin today

Six new cases were reported by the Polio Virology Laboratory at the National Institute of Health.

Four polio cases were reported from FATA and one each from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. An 11-month-old boy and an 11-month-old girl of Jamrud tehsil, a 12-month-old boy of Wana, a 17-month-old girl from FR Bannu tehsil, an 18-month-old boy of Nowshera and an 18-month-old boy of Killa Abdullah were reported to have caught the virus.

In the meanwhile, one-day anti polio drive was launched in Peshawar on Sunday as 754,000 children below the age five have been inoculated.

According to the statement of Peshawar Deputy Commissioner (DC) Zaheerul Islam, Section 144 was imposed to ban pillion riding in the city. He had also ordered to take strict action against those who will violate the law.

More than 4,000 police officers were deployed for the security of polio workers whereas 4,000 polio teams have been arranged to administered polio drops to children.

On the other side, the fifth round of three-day national immunization campaign against polio will begin in Gilgit-Baltistan on Monday (today).

During the campaign 113,000 children up to five years will be administered polio drops in all seven districts, Radio Pakistan reported.

The control rooms are also being set up in all districts to monitor the drive.

In Gilgit, an awareness rally about polio would be organized on Monday in Konoday Gilgit in which people of the area and students will participate.

In the meanwhile, Prime Minister’s Focal Person on Polio Ayesha Raza Farooq says the government has a firm resolve to defeat poliovirus transmission in the country through optimum utilization of this low transmission season. She said this while chairing a review meeting in Islamabad to analyse the level of preparedness of forthcoming anti-polio national immunization days (NIDs).

More than 34 million children less than 5 years of age will be administered polio drops in the NIDs.

Ayesha Raza Farooq said Polio Eradication Initiative is a national program, therefore, Federal Government is committed to provide an all-out support to ensure satisfactory conduct of campaigns in secured environment.