SWABI, June 18: Following the killing of two vaccinators in Pabbini area here on Sunday last, the paramedical staff and other employees of the health department and teachers have decided that they would not participate in anti-polio vaccination campaign.

Sources told Dawn here on Tuesday that the paramedics and teachers had refused to continue the campaign in the face of grave security threats.

Fazal Hakim, district president of paramedical association, said that they had held a meeting with All Teachers Association (ATA) and it was decided that they would not participate in the anti-polio campaign.

“We have lost a colleague teacher due to inadequate security cover. It is our unanimous decision that we would stay away from the campaign,” said ATA district president Abdul Latif.

Soon after the meeting, they called on deputy commissioner Mutasim Billah and apprised him of their decision and reservations.

In addition, both women health workers and lady health visitors also refused to take part in the campaign. When contacted, they said that their families did not allow them to participate in the campaign due to security threats.

The sources said that over 126,000 children were yet to be administered anti-polio vaccine due to suspension of the campaign and there were no indications it would be resumed this weak.

They said that the targeted children in the polio campaign were 252,000, including 13,000 Afghan children living in Gohati and Gandaf refugee camps.

A former EPI district chief said that they had constituted 634 teams, but now none of them was ready to perform duty. However, he claimed that refusal cases had been brought down from 10,991 in March to 5,770 in May.

When contacted, EPI head Dr Mohammad Yaqub told this correspondent that the anti-polio vaccination campaign had not been completed in Swabi and Topi tehsils.