KARACHI, Nov 8: The three-day anti-polio campaign in Sindh, which began on Tuesday, has been extended for another three days on order of Sindh health minister, Maj Gen (retd) Ahsan Ahmed.

Project director, Expanded Programme of Immunization Sindh, Dr Shamsun Nisa Ansari, told Dawn on Thursday that the ongoing anti-polio drive was extended to ensure maximum coverage of under-five population in Sindh with oral polio vaccine. Besides the polio drops, children over six-months age will also be given vitamin A supplementation drops.

In the extended phase of the campaign, mobile teams will continue going door to door to administer oral polio and vitamin-A drops. The facility will also be available at all major hospitals and health facilities. A large number of private maternity homes and children’s hospitals have also set up special counters to facilitate the government effort.

The city government has also set up roadside camps on major intersections and public places for this purpose. Polio camps are also working at the airport, railway stations and on bus stops.

About 8.4 million children under the age of five are expected to be immunised against polio and given vitamin-A drops during the current campaign.