ISLAMABAD: A five-day countrywide anti-polio campaign was formally launched on Monday under tight security measures.
During the campaign, over 19 million children under the age of five years will be administered the anti-polio drops in Punjab.
In Sindh, 2.3 million children will be vaccinated while in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan over 6.7 million and 2.5 million children, respectively, will be administered drops.
Last week, Prime Minister Imran Khan urged parents to ensure that their children are administered with the anti-polio vaccine not only for the sake of their health but also for the nation.
While speaking at the launching ceremony of the Nationwide Polio Eradication Campaign in Islamabad, the premier pointed out that Pakistan is one of two countries in the world where polio continues to exist and termed it a “matter of shame”.
“To the mothers who are watching this, I request you to go to the health workers and get your children vaccinated yourself if they haven’t been administered with polio drops,” he had said.
The premier had said that around four million children under the age of five would be vaccinated in the ongoing campaign.
“This is important for your children and for our nation as well,” he said at the time.
Until now, the countrywide tally for the year has reached 98 as compared to 12 in 2018 and eight in 2017. During the current year so far, 72 cases have been reported from KP, 14 from Sindh, seven from Balochistan and five from Punjab.
Separately, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah the campaign has been launched after a gap of six months and he will leave no stone unturned to achieve a polio-free province.
Observing that the Sindh government failed to eradicate the disease completely in 2019, he said that an inquiry has been conducted to trace each and every case.
A total of 19 polio cases emerged in Sindh in 2019.
