Lahore, January 18, 2023 (PPI-OT):The National Immunization Days will commence on Jan 16-22 in the province. The minister health Dr Akhtar Malik and Secretary PSHD Dr Irshad Ahmad inaugurated the campaign by administering polio drops to kids at Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department today.
The health minister while talking to the media said that in Lahore, Rawalpindi and Faisalabad, the campaign will continue for seven days, with two days dedicated to reaching Not Available children. In the rest of the province, the NIDs will last five days, also with two of these earmarked to reaching Not Available children. Dr Akhtar Malik said that more than 199,000 polio workers will participate in the drive to immunize 22.54 million children under the age of five against polio.
This includes: 16,292 area in-charges, 3951 union council supervisors, 84579 mobile team members, 4,853 fixed team members and 2,652 transit team members, he added. The minister health said that Punjab Emergency Operations Center (EOC) has deployed stakeholders from all areas to facilitate preparedness and implementation of the polio campaign in priority areas.
He said that although Punjab is free of polio case since October 2020, but recent sewage sample results from Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Bahawalpur and Sialkot have been of concern. The re-emergence of the virus in sewage samples must send an urgent message to parents to ensure that children are administered two polio drops under every immunization drive.
Dr Akhtar Malik added that the Punjab government is mindful of the polio risk and has adopted a pro-active approach toward this end. Punjab is prioritizing tracking and vaccinating Not Available children with critical focus on three very high-risk mega districts: Faisalabad, Lahore and Rawalpindi.
Punjab has set up transit vaccination points to immunize cross-border and inter-provincial populations in efforts to eradicate polio from the Pakistan-Afghanistan region. He said that compromised immunity is further exacerbated by malnutrition, lack of access to clean drinking water, poor sanitation and hygiene conditions. Children suffer paralysis in areas where routine immunization rates remain critically low.
The Minister said that multiple doses of polio drops offer the best protection against the virus. He observed that every single child needs to be vaccinated in order achieve population immunity and prevent virus circulation if we are to eradicate polio from infected zones.
Local communities must be reassured that immunization is a safe and effective means of safeguarding their children against this virus. The polio program is working closely with the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) to track and vaccinate Zero Dose children, he added.
For more information, contact:
Directorate General Public Relations,
Government of the Punjab
Lahore, Pakistan
Tel: +92-42-9201390-86
Website: www.punjab.gov.pk