TAXILA: Around 300,000 children will be vaccinated against across Attock district during a five-day campaign being launched from January 11, the health department officials said on Saturday.

The sources in the health department said the campaign was being launched on the directives of provincial authorities after a vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (VDPV2) case surfaced in the district on July 12 this year. The polio will be administered to the children under the supervision of representatives from provincial and federal health authorities and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Chairing a meeting, Deputy Commissioner Attock Ali Anan Qamar said the vaccination drive should be conducted under strict preventive measures against Covid-19.

He urged that a ‘no touch’ vaccination method should be adopted so that distance is maintained between the front line worker and child.

He said health department teams must ensure that polio drops are administered to all children between the ages of one to five, adding parents must cooperate with the teams to make the campaign a success.

The health officials said that as many as 1,100 teams had been constituted which would be deployed at all entry and exit points of the city, bus stands, railway stations, hospitals and health centers.

They further revealed that 100 fixed teams and 35 transit teams have been constitute. Representatives of the World Health Organisation informed the deputy commissioner that Punjab reported 14 polio cases in 2020 so far.

Published in Dawn, December 27th, 2020