ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is continuing its final push towards the interruption of the poliovirus with a sub-national door-to-door vaccination campaign starting today (Monday).

Efforts are being made to vaccinate 330,000 children in the capital to completely eradicate the virus, which has been found in sewerage samples.

The campaign will begin in 88 out of 94 planned districts and towns around the country.

The programme will target a total of 21.3 million children below the age of five, including approximately 6.9m in 12 districts of Punjab, 7m in 36 districts and towns in Sindh, 5.5m in 25 districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (including the tribal districts) and 1.5m in 20 districts in Balochistan.

The campaign will run for three days, and could continue for an additional one to five days to ensure every child is vaccinated – particularly in core reservoir areas.

A total of 150,000 personnel will participate in the campaign, including 16,847 area in-charges, 4,004 union council medical officers, and 110, 449 mobile, 5,305 fixed and 7,842 transit team members.

The National Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) has also deployed 46 experts to facilitate the preparedness and ground implementation of campaign activities by local teams in priority areas.

EOC National Coordinator Dr Rana Safdar said the national task force, which is led by the prime minister and has all the chief ministers and secretaries on board, urged the nation to ensure all efforts were made for a polio-free Pakistan during its meeting on Nov 9.

Published in Dawn, November 12th, 2018