ISLAMABAD: A five-day anti-polio drive in different parts of Pakistan will start from today.
According to details, a five-day anti-polio drive in Balochistan is starting in all 33 districts from today. In the province, more than 2.4 million children up to the age of 5 will be vaccinated against polio.
On the other hand, the anti-polio campaign is also starting in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa today where 7 million children will be vaccinated against polio. Around 28,000 teams across the province will take part in the anti-polio drive.
It may be recalled that earlier last year, the third national anti-polio drive was launched in Pakistan under which a target of vaccinating 39 million children across the country was set.
The national anti-polio drive, which began on November 30 last year, lasted until 4th December. According to Dr. Safdar Rana, head of the National Emergency Operational Center for Polio (NEOC), 285,000 workers participated in the polio campaign.
Read more: New case of polio surfaced in Balochistan
Polio cases have risen in Pakistan especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan due to continuous propaganda and rumors spread against polio vaccination in recent months. The global polio eradication drive, which began in 1988, is now close to eradicating the crippling disease from the world.
Pakistan is one of only two countries in the world, alongside Afghanistan, affected by poliovirus. Africa is free from wild poliovirus, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced on 25th August.
