LAHORE: A three-day anti-polio campaign began in Lahore district on Monday as part of the Sub-National Immunisation Day.

District Coordination Officer Muhammad Usman formally inaugurated the campaign by administering polio vaccine to children below five years of age by visiting door-to-door in Mozang localities along Lytton Road.

Chief Minister’s Adviser on Health Khwaja Salman Rafique said the campaign would target about 1.7 children of below five years of age in 165 union councils of Lahore.

Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department Secretary Ali Jan Khan said that a total of 4,319 teams would administer polio vaccine to children. Some 3,825 mobile, 167 transit and 327 fixed sites teams are in field to ensure implementation of National Emergency Plan for Polio Eradication.

“Special efforts are being made to map and register population coming to the city from polio endemic areas,” Health Director General Dr Mukhtar Hussen Syed said.

He said parents might also take their children to vaccination centres where staff would be available to vaccinate against nine vaccine preventable diseases as well. He said in case of teams not visiting the area, parents can contact the helpline 0800 99000 during campaign days.

Health department spokesman Akhlaque Ali Khan said Pushto-speaking staff had been hired to ensure administration of polio vaccine to children residing at Shafiqabad along Bund Road and Pathan Colony along Ferozpur Road.

Published in Dawn, September 6th, 2016