KHAR: The people of Barang tehsil of Bajaur Agency on Friday agreed to get their children vaccinated against polio after they were assured by the administration that work on damaged roads in their area would be started soon.

Sources in the local health department said that the people of several areas in Barang tehsil had allowed the health workers to carry out anti-polio drive in the region.

They said that the people had been refusing to administer polio vaccine to their children since the first day of current campaign, which started on Sept 26.

They said the anti-polio campaign was in progress smoothly in the region.

They said most of the children in the region had been vaccinated while the remaining would be vaccinated on Saturday (today).

An official of the local health department, who oversees the agency’s polio activities, confirmed the resumption of the vaccination drive in Barang area on Friday.

He said that the anti-polio drive was stopped in several areas of Barang tehsil after the local people resolved not to allow the health workers to administer polio vaccine to their children in protest against the local administration for not taking steps for repairing the broken roads in the region.

According to the official, a committee comprising senior officials of health department, administration and Levies force immediately moved to the area to resolve the issue.

He said that the elders agreed to allow anti-polio activities in when they were assured of start of work to repair the area roads.

Published in Dawn, October 1st, 2016