The National Polio Campaign will begin on October 13 with a target of administring drops to around 45 million children under the age of five.
This information is shared by Zia-ur-Rehman, Spokesperson for Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme.
Talking to APP, Zia ur Rehman informed that during the campaign, more than 400,000 frontline workers will go door-to-door to administer polio drops to target children.
This is an opportunity for parents to get their children vaccinated who are missed due to floods.
While parents in high-risk union councils where virus is found in environmental samples are also requested to get their children vaccinated. In this campaign, Vitamin A will also be given along with polio drops during the October campaign to boost children’s immunity, Zia disclosed.
Regarding the vaccination of children above five years of age, the spokesperson replied that this is one of the recommendations of the Technical Advisory Group, which is currently under consideration between the NEOC and the provincial EOCs. If agreed, it will be implemented only in a few areas where the spread of the virus is high.
However, the national campaign in October will only target children below five years of age.
Recent polio cases have come to light in children who were either denied vaccination due to parental refusal or missed during the campaign, he added.
Therefore, it is very important for parents to ensure that their children are vaccinated this time.
These drops are the only effective means of preventing polio, and children who are denied vaccination can become infected with the polio virus and become disabled for life.
Zia said Pakistan and Afghanistan have conducted coordinated polio campaigns in April and May, and both countries also conducted campaigns in September.
The joint campaigns have helped reduce the spread of the virus and prevent transmission in key border areas, including Balochistan.