National polio eradication drive successfully continues in AJK

MIRPUR [AJK]: Following adequate arrangements, the nation-wide 5-day anti-polio eradication campaign successfully continued the second successive on Tuesday across Azad Jammu Kashmir.

At least seven lakh of children under 5 years of age are targeted to be immunized with the polio vaccine and vitamin-A drops during the drive across Azad Jammu Kashmir.

Like rest of Azad Jammu Kashmir, a total of 68,025 children under five years of age would be administered anti-polio vaccine during the campaign in Mirpur district, District Health Authorities said.

The campaign was launched across AJK by the State Health Services Department with the coordination of the World Health Organization (WHO), he said.

Dr. Fida told that no case of polio disease has emerged any where in Azad Jammu & Kashmir since over last two decades.

The DHO said that Mirpur district was comprising the total population of 4,38,319 persons which included over 68 thousand children of under five years of age.

"One ward Incharge will supervise the campaign in the concerned specified area falling in each Union Council in the district.", he said adding that a total of 55 Union Councils / Ward Incharges will look after the campaign in all 55 union councils in the district.

Elaborating the district-wise anti-polio drive, Dr. Fida Hussain further said that a total of 228 mobile teams of paramedical staff involving over 400 para-medical workers have been constituted and 33 fixed centers have been set up in the district to immunize the children with the anti-polio vaccine.

The mobile teams, he said, will visit door to door by strictly acting upon the already devised SOPs in view of the still prevailing but controlled COVID-19 in the state, to administer anti-polio drops to children under five years of age.

Dr. Fida pointed out that in view of the apprehensions of the re-emerging of the novel-corona virus no any transit point has been set up this time of the anti-polio drive in AJK including Mirpur district.

“Only the mobile teams will visit door to door to feed the children with the anti-polio vaccine during the campaign", he said/ At least four thousand vials of the anti-polio vaccine and vitamin ‘A’ drops have been managed for the vaccination during the campaign, he added.

The DHO advised the parents to cooperate the visiting mobile paramedic teams to make the national anti-polio campaign complete success.

Identical arrangements have also been made in other both Kotli and Bhimbher districts of Mirpur division for the immunization of children up to five years of age during the drive.