RAWALPINDI: The district health department will launch a one-day anti-polio campaign to vaccinate children displaced from North Waziristan and believed to be living in two union councils of the garrison city.

The Special Branch of the police informed the City District Government Rawalpindi (CDGR) that some families from North Waziristan had arrived in the cantonment and Girja Road areas. However, the internally displaced persons did not reveal their identity to the local residents.

After the military operation in North Waziristan, the Punjab government directed the health department to vaccinate all the children entering the province through the Rawalpindi division which borders Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to check the spread of poliovirus.

According to Special Branch, IDPs from North Waziristan have arrived in these areas

During the last one month, the district health department launched three anti-polio campaigns in the high risk union councils, including those where people from KP and Fata are settled.

The basic aim of the anti-polio vaccination is to get the IDPs registered and vaccinate the children. The provincial government was of the view that the IDPs would also come to the Rawalpindi city and adjoining cities such as Attock to get shelter with their relatives.

As per reports of the vaccinators no family had arrived in the garrison city from North Waziristan. However, the information provided by the Special Branch forced the health department to launch an emergency anti-polio campaign in the areas.

When contacted, Executive District Officer Health Dr Zafar Iqbal Gondal said that it was not possible for the health department to search door to door and vaccinate the children coming from North Waziristan.

“After receiving the report about the arrival of IDPs in the two union councils, we have decided to launch a campaign to vaccinate all the children there. The new families will be registered and the data will be complied in this regard,” he said.

He said that in early July the district health department had administered polio drops to 18 children from North Waziristan. “These children and families had arrived at Ghari Sikandar in Taxila.”

He said 100 teams had been formed to launch the campaign in the two union councils of the garrison city. He said to complete the work before Iftar, the health department would also send additional teams of lady health workers to these areas.

Published in Dawn, July 19th, 2014