LANDI KOTAL, July 17: Health authorities and the political administration in Khyber Agency have decided to acquire the assistance of local peace committees in the conflict affected areas of Bara to vaccinate maximum number of children against the crippling disease of polio during the two three-day vaccination drives, starting today (Monday) and July 26, respectively.

The decision was made at a meeting held at Khyber House with additional political agent Sayed Ahmad Jan in the chair. Agency Surgeon Dr Abdul Qadoos, WHO representative Dr Sarfraz and other health and administrative officials attended the meeting.

The meeting took serious stock of over 100,000 Bara children under the age of five deprived of polio vaccine during the last twenty moths due to military operation in most parts of Bara.

It was decided to take the local peace committees and influential elders into confidence in order to reach to maximum number of left-out children during the coming three-day campaigns to be held from July 18 and July 26, respectively.

Dr Qadoos said at least 565 health teams had been constituted to vaccinate children during the two phases of the campaign.

He said the objective of two successive campaigns with short interval was to enhance and strengthen the immune system of children against polio.

"Our intention is to focus on conflict affected areas of Bazaar-Zakhakhel, Brag, Karamna, Alacha, Bar Qanbarkhel and Shalobar localities during these two campaigns”, said Dr Qadoos.

He said they still faced difficulties reaching to areas surrounding Mastak in Tirah valley due to insecurity and fighting between two rival groups.

He, however, expressed his satisfaction over the recently concluded three- day campaign in Landi Kotal and Jamrud and said out of over 90,000 children in these two tehsils, almost 90 per cent had been vaccinated.

Dr Qadoos regretted that they were still faced with problem of refusal on part of some parents in Jamrud and Landi Kotal and said he along with the local political administration would go hard against such elements. “One refusal case puts nearly three thousand children under five years of age at risk of contracting the polio virus”, he cautioned and said they had decided to take action against the refusing parents.

WHO representative, Dr Sarfraz, said they had succeeded in penetrating deep into some localities of Tirah with assistance of local peace committees and wanted to replicate the same tactic in some parts of Bara.

He said the WHO had provided them with solar freezers to keep the polio vaccine at the desired temperature even in far-flung areas like Tirah and Shalman.