MANSEHRA: The administration of Upper Kohistan district on Friday gave away cash prizes and appreciation certificates to health workers over their outstanding performance during anti-polio campaigns amid unfavourable conditions.

“We’re a polio-free district and that happened only because of your tireless vaccination efforts during the successive anti-polio drives,” deputy commissioner Irfanullah Mehsud told a gathering of polio workers and officials of the health department in Dasu area.

The DC said vaccinators were front-line anti-polio workers, who deserved praise for diligently doing their duty in mountainous and far-off areas despite extreme weather conditions.

District health officer Dr Taj Mohammad said Upper Kohistan had been free from polio for almost a decade only because of the great efforts made by front-line polio workers, including lady health workers, police and health officials, and teachers.

He said the residents helped vaccinators enable their children to fight polio and that’s why the district hadn’t recorded any case of the disease for around 10 years.

“We have almost zero vaccination refusal cases,” he said.

Dr Taj said he hoped that polio workers would continue furthering the cause of vaccination in the district.

HARMFUL MILK: Residents of Mansehra city and its outskirts on Friday complained about the sale of hazardous milk and yoghurt, whose use, they said, is causing health issues.

Accompanied by a group of people, Mohammad Arif Rajput told reporters that the district administration and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Food Authority had failed to crack down on adulterated and harmful milk.

He claimed that sellers mixed chemicals in the milk and yoghurt endangering people’s health and life.

Mr Rajput also complained that the district price contrail and review committee enhanced milk price from Rs160 per litre to Rs180 per litre last month but sellers overcharged customers by receiving Rs20 extra per litre.

BODY FOUND: A man was found dead in Chitta Batta area here on Friday.

Sami Khan of Rescue 1122 told reporters that the body was dumped in a ditch after the man was shot dead.

He identified the deceased as Mohammad Riaz and said the body was shifted to the King Abdullah Teaching Hospital for postmortem. It was later placed at the mortuary.

The police registered an FIR and started a search for gunmen.

Meanwhile, a car driver was injured in an accident on the Pano Interchange of Hazara Expressway here on Friday.

The accident occurred as a speeding truck collided with the car head-on critically injuring the driver of the latter, Mohsin.

Rescue 1122 personnel shifted the injured to the King Abdullah Teaching Hospital but he was referred to Abbottabad’s Ayub Medical Complex, where his condition was stated to be critical. The police registered an FIR and arrested the truck driver.

Published in Dawn, November 18th, 2023