Deputy Commissioner of Abbottabad Sarmad Saleem Akram on Friday formally inaugurated the district-wide anti-polio campaign by administering drops to children and urged parents to fully cooperate with vaccination teams to make Pakistan polio-free. The four-day campaign will continue from May 18 to May 21 across Abbottabad district, during which children under five years of age will be vaccinated against polio.

Addressing the inauguration ceremony, the Deputy Commissioner directed the health officials and field staff to perform their duties with dedication and responsibility to ensure that no child is left non-vaccinated. He said polio is a dangerous and crippling disease that can only be prevented through timely vaccination. He appealed to parents to ensure that their children receive polio drops during the campaign and support the teams visiting their areas.

According to the district administration, a target of 217,917 children has been set for the campaign, including 173,740 children to be covered through door-to-door vaccination. To ensure effective implementation of the drive, 54 Union Council Medical Officers and 360 Area In-Charges have been deployed across the district. Besides, 1,569 mobile teams, 65 fixed teams, 33 transit teams and five roaming teams have been constituted for vaccination activities, while 34 monitors will supervise the campaign to ensure transparency and efficiency.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)