RAWALPINDI: Speakers at a seminar on polio awareness highlighted the need to eliminate rumours about polio vaccinations and emphasise on the real, positive impact of vaccinations to achieve the objective of the anti-polio campaign.

Held by Unicef and the Punjab Public Relations Directorate on Friday, the seminar was attended by representative from the Punjab Health Department, Unicef and the World Health Organisation.

Unicef communications specialist Ban Khalid, media officer Zeeshan Alvi, Bushra Ajmal, Wasif Mehmood and others presented papers and presentations on Pakistan’s polio situation.

Ms Khalid said that anti-polio work has continued at the union council level in rural areas, and has yielded positive results and raised awareness about the importance of the polio vaccine.

She said that refusal cases have dropped to a considerable level and ratio, and added that teams are going door-to-door to administer the oral vaccine to children under five.

She said Unicef, the WHO and the health department are working together to eradicate polio in Pakistan by the end of 2016.

Mr Alvi, Ms Amjad and Mr Mehmood lauded the efforts of Unicef, the WHO and the Punjab Health Department to eradicate polio, and said citizens are extending their cooperation during the anti-polio campaign.

Presently, around 40,000 teams are engaged in the anti-polio campaign in Punjab, with 127 teams of polio workers operating in Rawalpindi.

They said the media and all the means of mass communication can also help raise awareness of the importance of polio vaccine.

Published in Dawn, May 28th, 2016