MUZAFFARABAD, Sept 3: A three-day polio vaccination campaign was launched in Azad Jammu and Kashmir here on Tuesday, as some 0.564 million Kashmiri children under five years of age will be immunized during the anti-polio campaign.

A ceremony in this connection was held at the Abbas Institute of Medical Sciences where the three-day campaign was launched by administering polio vaccine drops to the children.

The ceremony was attended, among others, by AJK Senior Minister Syed Mumtaz Ali Gilani, Health Minister Sardar Mohammad Yaqoob Khan Food Minister Raja Abdul Qayyum Khan and Dr Mohammad Rafiq, Executive Director of the institute.

On the occasion, AJK EPI chief Dr Mehmood said during the three day door-to-door campaign some 0.564 million Kashmiri children under the age of five-year would be administered polio oral drops.

He said in order to carry out the campaign some 2,047 teams, consisting of 4,500 workers, had been deputed.

He recalled that Azad Kashmir had touched zero polio in the year 2000 by the grace of Almighty Allah, and added: “We are still maintaining zero polio status but more efforts are imperative to sustain this position and to completely root out the disease.”

Ministers Mumtaz Gilani and Sardar Yaqoob appreciated the efforts of the AJK EPI.—APP