PESHAWAR, Sept 20: In an unprecedented move by the authorities concerned to eliminate polio, two persons were arrested and an Afghan national was deported for refusing to vaccinate their children against the crippling ailment.

Officials said that warrant for arrest of another person was issued on Tuesday. “The parents will have to face jail if they refuse polio drops to their children,” District Coordination Officer Siraj Ahmed Khan told Dawn.

He added that those people, who were instigating others against polio campaign, would also face legal action.

“Two persons, who had refused polio vaccines to their children, were sent to jail while case was registered against another person for similar reasons in Garhi Amir Rehman at Khazana locality,” the DCO said.

He said that chief minister had issued strict directives to all DCOs in the province to support the polio campaign and take strict action against the parents, who refused administration of vaccine to their children.

Health official Dr Syed Imtiaz Ali Shah said that Commissioner Mohammad Akbar Khan and DCO Siraj accompanied polio teams in the suburban areas of Peshawar during their door-to-door visit to ensure that all children got vaccine.

He told Dawn that both the officials marked fingers of children as well as houses during the three-day campaign, launched on Monday. He said that 3.22 million children below the age of five years would be administered anti-polio drops during the campaign, which would end on Wednesday.

“The campaign is in progress in 11 districts while in the remaining 14 districts only children in high-risk union councils will be vaccinated against the crippling ailment,” Dr Shah said.

The administration has been directed to register cases under Maintenance of Public Order against those parents, who refuse to administer polio drops to their children.

The districts from where more refusals have been recorded or services delivery by the health staffers are poor or where migrant population exists have been designated as high-risk.

Dr Shah said that the commissioner also announced cash prizes for a local volunteer, who guided the vaccinating team in Al Noor Colony, and area in-charge along with two members of his team. “The awards, to be given next week to them in Commissioner House, are meant to encourage the vaccinators and local population to make the province polio-free,” he added.

In another locality, the administration ordered arrest of two other persons, who were refusing vaccination, he said, adding ultimately both the persons, living in the same house, obeyed the order and brought out 13 children for vaccination to avoid arrest.

Likewise, 70 other children, whose parents had been denying their vaccination in past campaigns, were given vaccines on the order of the commissioner, he said.

Dr Shah said that the province had recorded seven cases this year so far, including five children whose parents had refused to administer oral drops to them.

The family of one Afghan child, who had tested positive owing to refusal, was deported under the Foreigner Act, he said.

Officials in the health department said that chief minister had sent appreciation letters to the DCOs of Shangla and Dera Ismail Khan for their active involvement in the polio drive and directed their counterparts in other districts to follow them and accompany the polio teams.