April 24, 2007	Tuesday	Rabi-us-Sani 06, 1428

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window).

PESHAWAR, April 23: NWFP Health Minister Inayatullah Khan has said the polio eradication drive is in a decisive phase in the province and therefore a coordinated initiative by the authorities, donor agencies and health professionals is required.

He was speaking as the chief guest at the inaugural ceremony of a three-day immunisation drive, held at the Lady Reading Hospital on Monday. Health Secretary and representatives of the Unicef and the WHO also spoke on the occasion.

The minister formally kicked off the campaign, to be run in the settled and tribal areas from April 24 to 26. During the campaign more than 16,000 teams will administer polio drops, along with vitamin A doses, to a target population of 5.5 million children.

He said that due to continuous efforts, considerable progress had been made in eradicating polio from a majority of countries in the world. “It is a big achievement in the human context as millions of children have been saved from becoming disabled through polio vaccines,” he remarked.

He said that due to coordinated efforts, polio cases had been reduced from 25,000 to only 111 globally. Lauding the contribution of EPI workers in the NWFP, he said they were doing a great job despite unfavorable conditions.

“In the context of the peculiar situation of the province — especially insecurity, non-accessibility, low literacy, conservative beliefs and negative propaganda — EPI workers are rendering commendable services,” he asserted.

He ordered the strengthening of the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) to eradicate polio.