TAXILA: The district health authorities have decided to launch a 13-day anti-measles drive in Attock from November 17 to 29, aiming to vaccinate more than 300,000 children aged between 6 and 59 months to save them from the epidemic.

The preparations to eliminate measles from the district are in the final stages, said Deputy Commissioner Rao Atif Raza while chairing the meeting to review the arrangements for the upcoming drive on Saturday.

The session was attended by the chief executive district health authority, assistant commissioners of all six tehsils, officials from the health department, and representatives from the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Briefing the meeting, health authorities informed that all preparations have been completed to ensure smooth execution of the campaign. They informed that the peak periods when this disease is likely to spread are March, May, September, and November.

Throat infections, running nose, temperature and eye pain are some of the symptoms of the disease. They informed that around 300,000 children up to the age of 09-59 months would be vaccinated in the drive all over the province through fixed centres, mobile and outreach teams. They added that special vaccination teams will be deployed at district entry and exit points, while mobile and roaming teams will carry out door-to-door vaccinations to reach every eligible child.

Deputy Commissioner Rao Atif Raza urged citizens to actively support the health department during the campaign. “The protection of children from diseases like measles and rubella is a shared duty. Collective efforts are essential to achieve full immunisation coverage,” he emphasised. Officials reiterated that all necessary resources have been allocated to ensure the campaign’s success and safeguard the health of Attock’s young population.

Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2025