PESHAWAR/KHAR: A three-day anti-polio vaccination campaign will be launched in Federally Administered Tribal Areas and frontier regions on Monday.

“The campaign will stretch for another three days to cover the missed children,” said a statement. It said that 982,030 children under five years would be vaccinated by 3,996 teams, comprising 3,599 mobile, 292 fixed and 105 transit ones. The campaign will be focused on reaching and vaccinating every child for ultimate polio eradication.

The statement said that security forces would provide protection to the vaccinators. The activity will take place under the supervision of political agents and commissioners.

So far only two polio cases have been reported from South Waziristan Agency. Both the polio victims belonged to the displaced families, who recently returned to South Waziristan Agency from Afghanistan.

To avoid missing children of the displaced families, vaccinators and health teams are deployed at transit points at the entry of Fata and frontier regions to vaccinate the travelling children.

In Bajaur Agency, tight surveillance system has been put in place to keep watch on the activities of anti-polio teams in the region.

An official said that more than 227,000 children below the age of five would be administered anti- polio vaccine during the three-day active campaign that would be followed by a two-day catch up of missed children.

The official said that a total of 700 teams, including mobile, fixed and transit ones comprising more than 1,500 health workers, teachers and volunteers would take part in the campaign.

He said that administration finalised security arrangements for the drive to protect vaccinators across the agency.

Published in Dawn September 26th, 2016