Summary Campaign was also launched in 15 districts of Balochistan including Quetta
KARACHI (Dunya News) – Three-day anti polio drives have kicked off in the city of lights and Balochistan s provincial capital, Dunya News reported Monday.
Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad inaugurated the campaign at Red Crescent centre office in Clifton. The drive aims at vaccination in as many as 188 union councils (UC) of six districts.
Around 21.66 lac children will be vaccinated until February 17. At least 6,220 volunteers have taken part in the campaign.
Sindh Governor arrives at the inauguration site
On the other hand, a three-day campaign was also launched in 15 districts of Balochistan including Quetta.
In Balochistan, around 16.56 lac children falling below five years of age will be vaccinated. At least 3,989 mobile teams, 418 fixed while 213 transit points have been formed where 9,220 polio workers have been deployed.
Districts where campaigns are being carried out include Pishin, Qilla Abdullah, Qilla Saifullah, Loralai, Khuzdar, Zhob, Sherani, Lasbella, Barkhan, Musa Khel, Nasirabad, Jaffarabad, Jhal Magsi, Dera Bugti amd Quetta.
Security for the polio teams has always been an issue in Balochistan. Several attacks on polio teams had surfaced in the past. To conduct safe campaign, around 1,900 police and levies personnel have been deployed.
Dr Ishratul Ibad gets briefed over Karachi drive
Frontier Crops (FC) contingents are standing by in this regard while army could also be called if need be.
Separately, thirteen districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) where children will be vaccinated are Peshawar, Nowshera, Charsadda, Mardan, Swat, Torghar, Kohat, Hangu, Karak, Lakki Marwat, Bannu, Tank, and Dera Ismail Khan.
On January 13, at least 13 police had lost lives in total 15 casualties in a blast outside a polio centre in Quetta’s Satellite Town area. Law enforcers had stated that at least seven Kilogram (Kg) explosives were used in the blast.
To counter threat to lives of polio workers have been a constant struggle for the federal and provincial governments.
In November last year, unknown gunmen had shot and killed head of an immunization programme in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) Swabi.
