April 25, 2008	Friday	Rabi-us-Sani 18, 1429

PESHAWAR, April 24: The NWFP government has decided to involve the schools’ students and teachers in anti-polio campaign with a view to put brakes on cases of refusals and ensure smooth immunisation campaign in the province, sources said.

They said that refusals by parents to vaccinate their children against polio have become an albatross for the health authorities and donor agencies, who pour millions of dollars in the anti-polio drive in the province. But the situation has yet to show signs of improvement, which can be gauged from the three-day anti-polio campaign held earlier this month, wherein about 13,000 children, were missed by the vaccinators in only three districts of the province.

For the first time in the province, the secretary health has sought help from the education department for the anti-polio efforts.

Secretary Health Dr Syed Sohail Altaf sources said sent a letter to Shafiullah Khan, his counterpart in education and literacy department on April 19, requesting him that he should instruct the executive district officers (EDOs), education across the province to extend full support to the health teams in their respective areas.

The letter said that senior staff members of the schools should be sensitised on polio and they be tasked to help the vaccinating teams to reach to the families who were refusing administration of polio drops to their children due to misconceptions.The letter has proposed to the education department that measures be initiated to raise the awareness level of the students regarding the significance of oral polio vaccine (OPV), so they could play their part in the anti-polio efforts. It has said that all the head teachers of public and private schools are asked to support the campaign and the school children are informed about the importance of vaccination in morning assemblies. —Bureau Report