ISLAMABAD: A five-day polio immunization drive will kick off across Pakistan today, Monday, to vaccinate over 40 million children under the age of five, the health ministry said.
A supplementary dose of Vitamin A will also be administered to children aged 6 to 59 months during the campaign to help build general immunity.
With 82 cases in 2020, Pakistan is one of the two countries in the world, along with its neighbor Afghanistan, where polio is still endemic.
In the latest campaign, around 285,000 polio workers will visit people’s homes while adhering to strict COVID-19 protocols, including wearing a mask, using hand sanitiser, and maintaining a safe distance during the vaccination.
“Our aim is to ensure timely and repeated vaccination of children,” Dr. Faisal Sultan, the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Health Services, said in a statement. “The year 2021 presents a unique opportunity to leverage the gains made in 2020, which included the implementation of six high-quality campaigns by frontline workers who defied the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“Alongside our plans to conduct quality polio campaigns, we are continuing our efforts to enhance essential immunization coverage across Pakistan. Repeated campaigns are imperative to give a quick immunity boost to children under five,” said Dr. Rana Muhammad Safdar, Director General of Health and Coordinator of the National Emergency Operations Center, Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI). “With our committed frontline workers, and the cooperation of parents and caregivers, the program aims to restrict the geographic scope of poliovirus circulation to the high-risk areas only and get closer to the goal of eradication in 2021.”
