PESHAWAR/LAKKI MARWAT, Aug 24: In order protect children from the crippling polio disease the authorities in Peshawar and Lakki Marwat have planned to conducted special anti-polio campaigns to cover all refusal cases.

In Peshawar, the administration would target over 1,200 refusal cases and convince parents on administering anti-polio vaccines to their children below five years of age.

Sharing information about the special campaigns, district coordination officer, Peshawar, Javaid Marwat told a press conference in Peshawar Press Club on Friday that there were over 2,000 refusal cases, but about 800 of them had been addressed.

Flanked by EDO (health) Dr Abdur Rasheed, he said that three rounds of polio drops had been planned in the high risk union councils in Peshawar so that all children could be accessed.

The first three-day round will commence on Aug 28, second three-day campaign from Sept 4 and the third one from Sept 10. He said that 48 of 92 union councils of Peshawar were in the high risk category. “I will also visit the high risk areas to meet people and persuade them,” the DCO said. He said that the targeted children in Peshawar district were around 745,021 while in high risk areas the number of children was about 426,728.

Mr Marwat pointed out that refusal cases had been registered in six of the 48 high risk union councils, which included Pejagi, Akhunabad, Shaheen Muslim Town-I, Badbher Maryamzai, Hassan Garhi-I, Mashkhel and Mashogagar.

The DCO said that they had been facing problems due to movement of internally displaced persons (IDPs). He said that women would play significant role in the vaccination campaigns to meet families and convince them on saving their children from polio.

In Lakki Marwat, former MPA Zafrullah Khan has called for initiating action against those parents who have been refusing immunisation of their children against polio.

Speaking at the inaugural function of polio eradication campaign in rural health centre, Ahmadkhel, on Friday, he expressed his concern over surfacing of a confirmed polio case in Dhoda village of Ahmadkhel union council last month and said that refusal by parents was unacceptable.

After detection of a polio case in Dhoda village the health department planned to launch two special rounds of polio eradication campaign in the district from Aug 27 and Sept 3.

The former lawmaker along with DCO Nisar Ahmad and health officials administered anti-polio drops to several children. The former MPA also offered to accompany polio teams and persuade parents to ensure vaccination of their children.