QUETTA: A three-day vaccination campaign against poliovirus will begin in 19 districts of Balochistan from Monday.

According to Syed Faisal Ahmed, the chief of Emergency Operation Centre in Balochistan, all necessary arrangements for the campaign had been made.

He said during the campaign over a million children under the age of five years would be vaccinated against the crippling disease. He said 3,893 teams of vaccinators would take part in the campaign — 3,241 mobile teams, 458 camps in cities and towns and 194 camps at entry points of the province.

In 15 union councils of Quetta children will be given injectable polio vaccines (IPV).

Mr Ahmed said personnel of police, Frontier Corps and Levies Force would provide security to the teams of vaccinators.

He said that for the success of the campaign, services of health volunteers were being hired, who would work in high security risk areas. Special attention was being given to areas close to the Afghan border, he said, adding that in these areas children up to the age of 10 years would be administered polio drops.

Mr Ahmed said ulema and tribal elders were being involved in the campaign to avoid refusal cases. He appealed to parents to cooperate with vaccinators and get their children vaccinated against the crippling disease.

Published in Dawn, April 17th, 2017