RAWALPINDI, May 1: The District Health Department will start Short Interval Additional Dose (SIAD) of polio vaccination activity from May 2 in 12 union councils (UCs) of the city that have been declared high risk areas.

These areas are: Union Council No.1 to 10 including Ratta Amral, Dhoke Ratta, Hazara Colony, Dhoke Mangtal, Dhoke Hassu South, Dhoke Hassu, Pirwadhai, Fauji Colony, Bangash Colony and Khyaban-e-Sir Syed in the city and Ward No. 9 and10 in cantonment areas including Peshawar Road, Misrial Road, Dhoke Mustaqeem, Dhoke Hafiz, Allahabad, Westridge, Naseerabad and adjoining areas.

Executive District Officer (Health) Dr Zafar Iqbal Gondal told Dawn that the campaign in these areas would be launched to provide additional dose of polio vaccination to the children to eliminate the chances of the presence of any unlucky child who missed out in the earlier campaign.

“The World Health Organisation (WHO) took samples of water from the city sewers every month after the polio vaccination campaigns and found the polio virus in it. The environmental samples were dispatched to National Institute of Health (NIH) for checking and after receiving the report, the WHO shared the data with the local administration in this regard,” he said.

“Luckily, the high risk areas in the city were declining as earlier total 22 union councils were declared high risk areas; he said and added the WHO team also found the traces of vaccination in the sewers which was a good sign and showed that most of the children had consumed polio vaccination.