QUETTA: Pakistan and Afghanistan officials have vowed to increase the coordination in eradicating polio virus from the bordering areas of both the countries.

In this regard, a meeting between Coordinator Emergency Operation Centre Balochistan (EOC), Dr. Syed Saif Ur Rehman and Dr. Rashid from Public Health Services of Afghanistan’s Spainboldak district was held here on Tuesday which was also attended by the officials of UNICEF, WHO and N-STOP.

“The officials from both sides have agreed to administer polio drops to all the children crossing the Pak-Afghan border,” said Dr. Syed Saif Ur Rehman.

According to a rough estimate, over 7,000 children cross the border every month at Pak-Afghan border in Chaman. “Our target is to improve the performance of Permanent Transit Points (PTP) along with Pak Afghan border,” Mr Rehman said.

On the occasion, the Afghan District Health Officer (DHO), Dr. Rashid said it will help in addressing the issue of shortage of vaccines.

The meeting was told that 11 Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) cases had been detected in Spinboldak area in Afghanistan.

The situation is relatively better in Afghanistan than Pakistan, he added.

Afghanistan could not launch Sub-National Immunisation Day (SNID) during the month of June because of the deteriorating law and order situation.

Both countries will share the data and improve the cross border mapping, Dr. Syed Saif Ur Rehman said.

According to EOC Balochistan, three cases had been detected in Afghanistan while 25 in Pakistan during 2015.

The next meeting of Pak-Afghan bordering officials will take place on August 3 this year near the friendship gate.

Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2015

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