PESHAWAR: A three-day special anti-polio campaign has been planned in the selected high-risk union councils (UCs) of Peshawar, Kohat and Hangu including 32 Afghan camps by the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from January 31.
It was decided in a meeting held at the EOC KP with Coordinator EOC Atif Rehman in the chair. Team Leader UNICEF Dr Johar, WHO Team Leader Dr Abdi Nasir, Team Leader N Stop Dr Ejaz Ali Shah and other relevant staff members also attended the meeting.
Speaking on the occasion, EOC Coordinator Atif Rehman said that the special campaign was planned after the detection of poliovirus in the environmental samples collected from Peshawar and Kohat.
Shedding light on the need to hold the special drive, Atif said that that it was the fourth consecutive time that Peshawar’s environmental sample was reported positive for the virus showing the circulation of the virus in adjoining districts.
It was the virus circulation and presence of poliovirus in the sewage water that prompted EOC to decide a special drive in these districts so as to help stop the circulation of the virus and prevent reporting of polio cases from these districts and other adjoining districts of the province for that matter, he added.
Atif said that Peshawar remained polio-free for the last two years while only one case has been reported from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa which shows a marked decline in the number of polio cases.
“We need to sustain the successes achieved so far in the war against polio and cannot afford complacency,” he said.
EOC Coordinator appealed to the parents and the cross segments of the society to support the government in reaching the finish line by the end of the year and get their children vaccinated in every round of the campaign when the teams visit them.
Earlier, he was briefed that the special campaign will start from January 31 till February 2 during which 3.24 million children will be administered polio drops in 28 union councils of Peshawar, 11 UCs of Kohat and 8 UCs of the Hangu district.
The meeting was informed that special security measures were taken to provide a safe working environment for the teams.
