From Our Correspondent

PESHAWAR:  More than 6.3 million children will be vaccinated against polio as March round of anti-polio drive has been kicked off in the province.

In a press statement issued on Monday, Additional Secretary Health (Polio) and Coordinator Emergency Operations Center Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Abdul Basit informed that the March round of anti-polio drive was planned in the whole province with the first round concluded in Bannu and D.I.Khan divisions while the second phase will be carried out in the rest of 29 districts.

He said that total target of the campaign was 6362104 for which 30822 total teams have been established out of which 27610 were mobile teams, 1909 fixed teams, 1155 transit teams and 148 roaming teams.

To ensure quality of the campaign 7446 area incharges have been deployed, he said adding that more than 43000 police personnel have been deployed to provide foolproof security to teams, he added.

Abdul Basit said that every campaign is an opportunity to vaccinate children and reaching out to the vulnerable communities at their doorsteps.

He said that the province has made a good progress in the battle against polio despite multiple challenges as no wild polio virus case has been reported in the province since July 2020.

However, he went on to add that Peshawar and South KP particularly Bannu and D.I.Khan divisions still present highest risk in the Province with active virus circulation and needs maximum focus and peak performance.

Coordinator EOC hoped that with the current level of ownership by the government, motivation and hard work of the frontline workers and support of cross segments of society remaining challenges in polio eradication will be overcome and the last endemic region will be purged of the virus soon.

He held an appeal to the parents to turn deaf ear to the propaganda against polio and fulfill their responsibility by vaccinating their children in every campaign.