LAKKI MARWAT, May 8: Health officials have urged the parents to immunise their children below five years of age against polio as it is the only preventive measure to save children from the attack of crippling disease.

Speaking at an inaugural ceremony of the three-day anti-polio drive in the city hospital the other day, they said concerted efforts were needed to eradicate the disease completely after surfacing of polio confirm cases in the district and adjacent frontier tribal region in the recent past.

They said the health department in collaboration with the district administration and World Health Organisation had made full arrangements to make the three-day campaign, starting from May 9 (Monday), a success.

“The polio teams will launch door to door activity in the entire district”, they said, adding, lady health workers will also visit each and every house in their respective localities to administer oral drops to the children.

The officials said the department had devised a comprehensive plan to supervise the work of polio teams and to ensure that the team members had access to each house. They said special attention would be given to the areas where refusal cases existed.

“There is no justification for the presence of such cases in any part of the district after full support and cooperation extended by clerics and religious scholars”, they said, adding, refusal by parents to immunise their children was not acceptable at all.EDO health Dr Falak Naz, former EDO Dr Mohammad Iqbal, MS DHQ hospital Dr Mohammad Ishaq, MS city hospital Dr Ghulam Ali, WHO representatives Dr Rafiullah Khan and Ziaullah and others were also present in the ceremony.

MARDAN: The Awami National Party MPA Ahamad Khan Bahader on Saturday inaugurated a three-day anti-polio campaign, which will begin from Monday across the Mardan city.

Launching ceremony was attended by EDO health Dr Ayub Roz, Principle of Bacha Khan Medical College Dr Zia-ul-Islam, MS Mardan Medical Complex Dr Qaim Shah, MS DHQ hospital Dr Tahir Khan and other officials.

The EDO health Dr Ayub Roz disclosed that 350,000 children would be administered polio vaccines during the drive.

MPA Ahamad Khan Bahader urged the citizens to play their role for eradication of polio as it was a national obligation of all the countrymen to make the campaign successful.

He was of the view that an awareness campaign through mosques and hujras should be started to educate public about importance of vaccination of children.

He said role of media was also very important in this regard because large number of people were under the direct influence of print and electronic media these days.