RAWALPINDI: Uncertain political situation in the city has forced the health department to postpone anti-polio campaign in Rawalpindi and Attock districts for at least a week.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) protocol, after the detection of a polio case in Chakwal district, the provincial health department was supposed to launch anti-polio campaigns in the adjoining districts, a senior official from health department told Dawn.

Three-year-old Noorul Huda, a resident of Kalar Kahar, became the victim of the crippling disease last month.

The official said the campaign was scheduled to start soon after August 14, but the ongoing political situation has forced the health department to drop the idea for now.

He said the health department also sought the help from WHO representatives before announcing new dates for the campaign. The official said the administration was preoccupied devising a strategy to deal with the PTI and PAT protesters, who would come from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa via Attock district.

He said the divisional administration was making plans to deploy security personnel in Attock and the border of Rawalpindi district, so that protesters do not enter the capital.

“The administration was facing shortage of staff in the two districts; therefore, it stopped the health departments to engage more people in this campaign. Hospitals, too, cannot spare their manpower for the campaign, as their staff has been put on alert to deal with any emergency situation in case of violence in the protests,” he said.

The district health department launched anti-polio campaigns thrice in 24 high-risk union councils, where people from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have settled.

When contacted, Regional Director Health Dr Zafar Iqbal Gondal said that the anti-polio campaign in Rawalpindi and Attock districts would be launched soon.

He admitted that the campaign should have been launched soon after the detection of the polio case in the Chakwal district. But now the dates are being finalised, according to him.

He said the drive in the affected district had been launched and neighbouring districts would also start their campaigns.

“Rawalpindi is safe from poliovirus as the environment sample for July came out negative. WHO checked the sewer samples to detect poliovirus and as per its report, they found no traces of the virus in Rawalpindi and adjoining Islamabad areas,” he said.

Published in Dawn, August 13th, 2014