Three-day anti-polio campaign begins today

KARACHI: A three-day anti-polio vaccination drive will begin in Sindh’s capital from today till 23rd July.

According to the Sindh Emergency Operation Centre for Polio, the drive will be conducted in two districts of Karachi and will target children less than five years of age. The polio vaccination drive will be carried out in more than 22 union councils of District Central and District West, Karachi.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), hand gloves, and surgical masks will be provided to the polio team for the vaccination drive.  

The last polio campaign was carried out in Karachi in March 2020. Earlier, the anti-polio campaign which was expected to restart in June has been postponed in the country due to fear of the rising number of coronavirus cases.

Read more: WHO extends travel restrictions for Pakistan due to poliovirus

Moreover, global polio eradication campaigns were also suspended in March for the first time in three decades amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by the poliovirus mostly affecting children under the age of five. It invades the nervous system and causes paralysis or even death. Unfortunately, Pakistan is one of only three countries in the world, alongside Afghanistan and Nigeria, affected by poliovirus.