ISLAMABAD: Strict security measures have been put in place for the teams taking part in the five-day vaccination drive which was launched on Monday.A spokesman for the capital administration said 356,558 children in the capital’s urban and rural areas would be vaccinated against the crippling disease.
The capital has been divided into 32 zones to ensure security for the 1,395 polio teams, comprising medical staff and volunteers.
The teams are working under 68 zonal supervisors and 342 area supervisors. Besides, 97 teams have also been deployed at different points and roads.
Arrangements are also in place at the transit points, including entry and exit points of the capital, inter-provisional bus terminals, railway stations and the airport.
An official of the capital administration added that the staff taking part in the drive had also been trained to convince parents if they disallowed the teams to administer drops to their children. Quick Response Force has been deployed in these zones while teams of Counter-Terrorism Force are on patrol.
1,000 policemen guarding teams in Pindi
As many as 1,000 police personnel have been deployed on the security duty of anti-polio teams in Rawalpindi district.
Besides, Dolphin Force and Mohafiz Squad would be patrolling in sensitive areas.
The health department has constituted 370 teams for the campaign.City Police Officer Mohammad Ahsan Younas said in a press release that all station house officers will be responsible for deployment of police with the anti-polio teams at different points in their respective areas.
No unauthorised person would be allowed to come close to the vehicles of the anti-polio teams during vaccination, he added.
Arrangements in Murree & Attock
Health authorities in Murree and Attock have established 31 transit points to administer polio drops to children.
Assistant Commissioner Attock Jannat Hussain Nekokara visited a bus stand in the city to check records of the anti-polio teams.
She said the district administration had called for collective efforts to help eradicate polio.
“Located on KP-Punjab border, Attock has become one of the high-risk areas,” she said.
Deputy Commissioner Attock Ali Annan Qammar inaugurated the drive in Hazro by administering vaccines to children at the Tehsil Headquarters (THQ) Hospital.
During the campaign, 291,863 children would be administered drops, he said.
He said 953 teams would go door-to-door and administer polio drops to children. Former town nazim Murree and PTI leader Khursheed Abbasi inaugurated the drive in Murree. Mr Abbasi said citizens should cooperate with the polio teams to cover all the children.
Published in Dawn, February 18th, 2020