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PESHAWAR, Jan 15: NWFP Minister for Information Asif Iqbal Daudzai has said the provincial government is making efforts to eradicate polio in the province. He was speaking at a ceremony organised to launch an anti-polio campaign at the Children Hospital, Peshawar, on Monday.
He said that it was a great achievement that during 2006 no case of polio had been registered in Peshawar. However, he said, the disease had still not been completely eradicated in the country. He urged parents not to pay heed to rumours about anti-polio vaccines and get their children vaccinated not only against polio but also against other such diseases.
He praised efforts of the WHO and the health department in the fight against polio and said they should continue their work to eliminate the disease in the province.
The minister suggested that like the drive against polio, the WHO and Unicef should also launch an anti-hepatitis campaign in Peshawar in general and in the NWFP in particular because the poor could not afford costly treatment of the disease.
Peshawar District Nazim Ghulam Ali assured departments and organisations concerned of cooperation of the district government in their efforts against polio.
The minister and the district nazim gave away shields to the EDO, female education, secretary of the Private Schools Association and the principal of the Public Health School for contributions in the anti-polio campaign.
The ceremony was also attended by District Naib Nazim Razaullah Khan, local elected public representatives, EDO, health, and officials of the WHO.
IMMUNISATION DRIVE: Like other parts of the country, a three-day anti-polio campaign would be launched from Tuesday throughout the Northern Areas to administer the polio vaccine to children of five year of age to save them from crippling disease.
According to health sources of NAs, some 32 million children of five years of age would be given anti-polio drops to save them from the disease.
Sources told APP here on Monday that a large number of teams have been constituted to make the campaign a success in all six districts of Northern Areas.
The mobile teams would also take part in the drive and would visit door-to-door to provide vaccination to the children of this far-flung part of the region.
Hospitals, basic health units, rural health centres as well as other health organisations have set up their centres for the anti-polio campaign, sources added.
Meanwhile, the newly established tourism department is planning to introduce fishing as a game in the Northern Areas.
A site in Ghizer district has been selected for holding regular fishing competitions, official sources said.
The fishing competition would boost business and tourism activities in the area.
The government has allocated Rs9 million for the upgradation and beautification of the basic infrastructure of the site where the competitions would be held, the sources added.—Agencies
