‘Anti-polio drive aimed at immunising 33m children across 115 districts’

ISLAMABAD: The Prime Minister’s Focal Person on Polio Eradication has said that the government has devised a comprehensive strategy to rid the country of poliovirus keeping in view the natural trends of the spread of virus.

Ayesha Raza Farooq, the PM’s Focal Person on Polio Eradication, stated this here on Friday in a media briefing, saying that a robust strategy has been formulated following a detailed review of the polio programme conducted in July and August.

It was decided to conduct three polio vaccination drives in September, October and December to stop the continued spread of the virus, she said, and mentioned as per the past trends the poliovirus becomes less active during the cold or winter season, so the government and other partners have decided to eradicate it through a scientific strategy.

She said that the ongoing nationwide polio vaccination campaign was making remarkable progress which aims to target the immunisation of over 33 million children across 115 districts.

In close collaboration with federal and provincial governments, a finalised plan has been established to eradicate polio. According to the plan, three high-quality campaigns are scheduled for September, October, and December to curb the spread of the virus.

Currently, the polio virus has been detected in environmental samples from 66 districts. Ayesha Raza Farooq emphasised, “With these extensive campaigns, our goal is to significantly limit and contain the virus.” She said that the success of the ongoing anti-polio drive is crucial to our efforts. She assured that any remaining children will be covered in the next three days. Additionally, two further campaigns are planned for October and December, employing scientific strategies to address the virus during the colder months.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024