RAWALPINDI: A five-day anti-polio campaign starts on Monday (today) during which over 800,000 children in the district will be administered the drops.

“All environmental samples in Rawalpindi district were negative due to the effective vaccination campaigns,” said District Health Authority (DHA) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr Anser Ishaq told Dawn.

Dr Ishaq said that 4,046 teams would visit door-to-door and administer polio drops to children below the age of five years in the seven tehsils of the district during the campaign.

He said that 307 teams would administer anti-polio drops to children at fixed sites while 147 teams would perform their duties in different areas, such as bus terminals, railway stations and others.

The DHA chief executive officer said the district administration would ensure security of the teams and help them in convincing people to get their children vaccinated.

He said that as per the standard operating procedures, the police would man the teams, adding that all possible steps had been taken to make the campaign a success.

Dr Ishaq said the basic aim of the drive was to save the new generation from the crippling disease.

He urged the residents of the district to come forward and play their role in eliminating the disease and save the new generation.

Teams would also meet prayer leaders and prominent personalities of the area in case of refusal cases.

He said the health authority also formed committees to tackle the refusal cases.

Published in Dawn, January 16th, 2023