PESHAWAR: A three-day anti-polio drive will begin in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) from November 23 – in which at least 1,022,665 children below the age of five years will be vaccinated.
According to the campaign’s spokesman, as many as 4,146 teams – comprising 3,753 mobile teams, 292 fixed teams and 101 transit teams have been established. In certain parts of South Waziristan Agency, the drive will be launched on November 28 – for the repatriating families’ arrival.
The coordinator of FATA’s Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) said that the drive aims to vaccinate each and every child in order to completely eradicate polio from Pakistan.
“I am confident that with the support of political administration, the law enforcement agencies, national and international partners of the campaign will be able to achieve the set targets,” he said.
So far, only two polio cases have been reported from South Waziristan Agency – both from the families that recently returned from Afghanistan. This year’s total tally of polio cases from all over the country are 18 as compared to the 49 cases in 2015).
“Pakistan’s anti-polio programme is a national priority,” the spokesman said and added that it’s aimed at curbing the virus by this year’s end.
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