KARACHI, Jan 28: Local parents are being passionately appealed to ensure across the board administration of anti-polio virus drops to their newborns and children up to five years of age, particularly during the campaign launched in high-risk districts on Tuesday.

An estimated number of 5.79 million children under the age of five years are aimed to be vaccinated against the virus during the three-day special anti-polio campaign in 10 high-risk districts of Sindh.

Immunization against the crippling disease was initiated with a certain intensity and consistency in the country since 1994 through special campaigns and routine vaccination programmes.

People are appealed to realise that repeated administration of polio drops is not in any way hazardous to children’s health and is actually a mean to further strengthen their immunity against any possible presence of virus in their environment. Any possible side-effect of the vaccine is also denied.

The Public has also been urged to provide adequate support to the teams visiting children of target-age group on the door-to-door basis.

The Expanded Programme on Immunization Sindh, with the active support of WHO, UNICEF and Rotary International, has constituted 12,635 teams of vaccinators besides 749 fixed centres.

The areas to be covered in the province during the three day activity till Thursday include Karachi, Hyderabad, Dadu (Tehsil Kotri), Sanghar (specified areas), Ghotki, Jacobabad, Shikarpur, Larkana, Khairpur and Sukkur.

Meanwhile children from other areas can be vaccinated at hospitals, clinics and fixed centres.—APP