RAWALPINDI, Dec 4: The district health department has started administering short interval additional dose (SIAD) of anti-polio vaccination among children in 10 highly risk areas of the district with special focus on 20,000 Pakhtuns.

The department has collected the data of Pakhtun population and hired the services of 80 female vaccinators from these areas to remove the cultural barrier.

District Coordination Officer (DCO) Saqib Zafar told Dawn on Tuesday the residents of these localities were more vulnerable to contracting polio.

“These people came from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to the garrison town without getting anti-polio vaccination,” he said.

He said that the health department had launched an anti-polio campaign in the district and the campaign would continue for next four days.

He said that the district health department would use the Pashto speaking vaccinators for next four months if the new experiment proved successful.

He said that 10 union councils in the city are Ratta Amral, Pirwadhai, Ziaul Haq Colony, Dhoke Hassu, Dhoke Mangtal and others, two wards in cantonment areas, including Peshawar Road and adjoining areas and two union councils in Taxila -Jala and Sarai Kala.