In the first three days of the polio vaccination campaign in high-risk districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, health workers have administered polio drops to 1,286,202 children. The health department has set a target of vaccinating more than 2.4 million children in these districts against the crippling disease.
According to media reports, so far, the campaign has been successful in reaching most children in the target areas. However, there have been some cases of parents refusing to allow their children to be vaccinated. In total, 11,595 parents and guardians have refused to administer polio vaccination to their children. The highest number of refusal cases was reported from Bannu (6,086), followed by Charsadda (933), Hangu (200), Kohat (890), Nowshera (694), North Waziristan (2,738), Dir Lower (1), Haripur (25), Mardan (2), and Swabi (26).
The health department said that so far 131,427 children have missed the vaccination which would be covered during the follow-up. The department has also set a target of vaccinating more than 800,000 children in Peshawar while giving IPV shots. The polio vaccination campaign is a critical part of efforts to eradicate the disease from Pakistan. Polio is a highly contagious disease that can cause paralysis and death.—INP
