CHITRAL/UPPER DIR: During the four-day anti-polio campaign carried out in 10 out of 24 union councils of Chitral no refusal case was reported.

Overall, 39,690 children were administered oral polio vaccine during the campaign, which could not cover the 14 snow-bound union councils, district health officer Dr Israrullah told media persons on Saturday.

He said to ensure that no child was left from vaccination, a follow up team was sent to each village on the final day of the campaign.

“We had to be more vigilant on the areas in the southern union councils, including Arandu whose villages border Kunar province of Afghanistan, where a number of polio cases have recently been reported,” he added.

Dr Israrullah lauded the role of civil society for making the drive a success, saying thanks to these efforts Chitral district had been polio-free for last three decades.

The DHO said anti-polio campaign would be launched in all the remaining 14 union councils of the district by the end of March as all the areas would then be cleared of snow and avalanches.

In Upper Dir, over 150,000 children were administrated anti-polio vaccine during the four-day campaign which ended on Saturday.

Polio workers braved the extreme chilly weather and heavy snowfall to vaccinate the children against the childhood disease.

The polio campaign could not be run in the snow-bound Brawal and Sheringal tehsils.

Upper Dir Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Usman Mehsud said the campaign would be started in the two left out tehsils once the weather became mild.

Published in Dawn January 22nd, 2017