GHALLANAI, Nov 27: Health authorities on Tuesday claimed to have vaccinated about 5,000 children against polio who they said had been missed in the last campaign owing to security reasons.

These children were administered oral polio vaccines (OPV) during the measles campaign, they said.

The officials said that they had used the anti-measles campaign to cover about 5,000 children in almost all areas of the Mohmand Agency, including more than 800 children in the troubled Ambaar valley.

They said the valley was notorious for poppy cultivation and known as a stronghold of the Taliban and was previously considered to be a ‘no-go area’ for vaccinators.

The officials said that a directive of the Saudi government that they would not grant entry to any Hajj pilgrim from Pakistan if he or she had not been vaccinated against polio had helped them in initiating a dialogue on the issue with residents of the Ambaar valley.

Previously, those people had denied entry to vaccinators.

The officials said that 345 children were vaccinated in Sagi, 114 in Tamanzai, 820 in Daewezai, 515 in Khawezai, 390 in Suran, 220 in Chamarkand, 800 in Ambaar , 470 in Safi, 595 in Qandari, 595 in Paaranghar, 85 in Pandialy and 115 children were given anti-polio drops in Michani areas of the agency.

“The coverage of 5,000 children in the Mohmand Agency coupled with 2,000 and 3,300 in Kohat and Waziristan, respectively, during the current measles campaign had brought the total number of missed children from 16,431 to 6,131 in the NWFP and Fata,” they said.