MANSEHRA, Jan 19: The district administration has planned a three-day polio vaccination campaign in Mansehra, but would not make its schedule public keeping in view security threats being faced by the vaccinators.

“Our objective is to administer drops to children below five years of age and protect them from poliovirus. We would not publicise dates of the campaign to be held in the current month,” Zulfiqar Ali Shah, the deputy commissioner, told participants of a meeting held at his office on Saturday.

The meeting also decided to postpone the polio vaccination drive in 11 union councils of the district due to snowfall. It was informed that a special drive would be initiated in these union councils in February or March after the snow melts and roads were opened.

The deputy commissioner said that all polio teams would be provided security. “Protection of lives of vaccinators, including the lady health workers, is very important for us,” he said.

Mr Shah said that he and heads of other public departments would personally monitor the drive and check the teams in areas of their duty.

Assistant commissioner Ali Shahzad, district health officer Siddiqur Rehman, King Abdullah Teaching Hospital medical superintendent Dr Niaz Mohammad, WHO representatives, and officials of revenue department and municipal committees of Balakot, Mansehra and Oghi tehsils attended the meeting.

The DHO said that as many as 246,339 children below five years of age would be administered oral polio drops and for this purpose 613 mobile, 66 fixed and 27 transit teams had been constituted.

LABOURERS INJURED: Twelve labourers were injured when roof of an under-construction building collapsed on Friday evening.

Construction work on grain warehouse of food department here was in progress when the incident occurred and the labourers working inside were injured.

Local people pulled the workers out of rubble and shifted them to King Abdullah Teaching Hospital, from where they were referred to Ayub Medical Complex in Abbottabad.