Our Correspondent
Quetta
An anti polio drive was initiated on Monday in twenty five districts of Balochistan that will continue till August 22 for which all the arrangements have been finalized. Provincial Parliamentary Secretary Health Dr Rubaba Khan Buledi inaugurated the drive by administering polio drops to a child at Emergency Operation Center Quetta. Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) coordinator Rashid Razzaq briefing the Parliamentary Secretary said that more than 2,098,000 children will be vaccinated polio drops during the campaign.
He disclosed that 8242 teams had been deployed to vaccinate drops to children under five years age. He added that such teams included 7443 mobile teams and 742 fixed point teams. He briefed that such campaign will be conducted in Quetta, Kila Abdullah, Pishin, Barkhan, Bolan, Dera Bugti, Dukki, Harnai, Sibi, Jaffarabad, Jhal Magsi, Kalat, Khuzdar, Kohlu, Killa Saifullah, Lasbela, Loralai, Mastung, Ziarat, Nasirabad, Sherani, Sohbatpur, Zhob, Musakhel, Surab and other districts.
He stated that all the arrangements have been finalized for the campaign that will continue till August 22.
He also briefed that security arrangements have been finalized with the help of Frontier Corps Balochistan, Police and Balochistan Levies for the campaign. Rashid Razzaq added that religious scholars had also been taken on-board for cooperation during the campaign.
He noted it was first anti-polio campaign after significant decrease in the coronavirus cases added that sixteen cases of polio had been reported in Balochistan this year. He said that eleven districts of Balochistan are currently affected by polio and the presence of polio virus in the environment and sewerage water of Quetta, Kila Abdullah and Pishin has been proved, he added. “Due to the presence of virus in the environment and sewerage water, there is a danger of spreading polio in Quetta, Kila Abdullah and Pishin,” he said.
