PESHAWAR: Thousands of children didn’t get polio drop
By Ashfaq Yusufzai
PESHAWAR, Aug 26: NWFP and Fata health departments have missed thousands of children who were to be vaccinated during the three-day anti-polio campaign from Aug 7 to 9.
A report compiled by the authorities cited lack of awareness among parents as one of the reasons for missing the target. It said that such parents did not take their children to vaccination teams which visited their homes during the campaign.
Less than one per cent of the children could not be vaccinated due to refusal by their parents because of some misconceptions, said a handout issued by the information department on Sunday.
It said that 96 per cent of children under five had been vaccinated during the campaign in the NWFP and Fata. Only four per cent or 220,000 children were missed, it added.
The health department report said that 5.5 million children had been targeted for the campaign in the NWFP and Fata with the help of some 16,000 vaccination teams.
Elected representatives, DCOs, nazims and religious leaders had been involved in the campaign, the report said, adding that the target achieved in the anti-polio drive was considered as the highest.
