CHARSADDA: An extensive outreach activity to apply vaccines to 12,000 children against 10 deadly diseases in Charsadda district will start here on Monday (today).

District health officer Dr Fayyaz Khan told mediapersons that provincial law minister Sultan Mohammad Khan had already inaugurated the campaign on Saturday. He said the campaign to administer vaccines to 12,000 children below two years of age against 10 hazardous diseases, including polio, tetanus, measles, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), hepatitis-B, meningitis, and pneumonia, would be complete in three phases.

EPI coordinator Dr Feroz Shah was also present on the occasion.

Dr Fayyaz said for the purpose, 207 teams, including 59 fixed and 148 mobile, would go door-to-door to apply vaccines to children. He said polio campaign would also continue alongside the special campaign.

He said the 700 parents who had refused to apply anti-polio vaccines to their children, were being pursued to allow their children’s vaccination. Dr Fayyaz claimed that Charsadda district was ahead of other districts in achieving the vaccination targets as it had already covered 93 per cent target against the 80 per cent set for it.

Meanwhile, addressing the inaugural ceremony minister Sultan Khan had appealed to the people to cooperate with vaccination teams during the special campaign. He said everyone would have to play his due role in this national responsibility.

Published in Dawn, December 31st, 2018