QUETTA: A three-day polio eradication campaign was launched in 137 union councils of Balochistan on Monday amid tight security to inoculate over half a million children under the age of five.

Around 1,678 mobile teams, 122 teams at fixed points and 38 at transit points were engaged in administering vaccine drops to the children.

“A strict surveillance system has been adopted at all transit points,” said the coordinator of the Emergency Operation Centre Balochistan, Dr Syed Saifur Rehman, adding that health teams were also deployed in refugee camps.

According to Dr Rehman, strict security measures were adopted for the health workers engaged in the campaign.

“Police personnel and Frontier Corps soldiers will be providing cover to polio teams,” he said.

Health teams have been frequently targeted in Balochistan by extremist groups who believe that polio vaccination is part of a western conspiracy or against Islam.

Dr Rehman explained that to combat this, religious scholars in Balochistan had assured the government of their support and assistance to convince parents to vaccinate their children.

“We have been fighting against the crippling disease and I am hopeful that Balochistan will be the first polio-free province in the country,” he said, adding that he had visited high-risk areas like Zhob, Sheerani, Chaman and Loralai to monitor the campaign preparations.

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2016