PESHAWAR
An important meeting of the provincial task force for polio prevention held here on Tuesday with Chief Secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Dr Shahzad Khan Bangash in the chair, reviewed the ongoing anti-polio vaccination drives across the province.
The officials of Home and Tribal Affairs, Information and Administrative Secretaries of Primary and Secondary Education, Pakistan Army and Police officials, Coordinator Emergency Operation Center and Additional Secretary Polio, Director General Health Services and other concerned officials including representatives of international partners attended the meeting.
Divisional Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners, District Police Officers and District Health Officers participated in the meeting through video link.
On this occasion, the Chief Secretary while addressing the meeting said that the provincial government is committed to the complete eradication of polio virus.
All relevant institutions are taking practical steps to protect children from lifelong disabilities and owing to practical steps no case of polio has been reported in KP in the last three months.
CS-KP Dr Shahzad on the occasion lauded the role of all local and international partners including WHO, UNICEF, Health, Field Staff, District Administration, District Health Officers, Pakistan Army and Police personnel for polio eradication in the province.
Accurate information and streamline data are necessary steps that make the provincial government and relevant authorities to root out shortcomings in the campaigns against the polio-virus, CS-KP added.
Coordinator EOC informed the meeting that the ongoing anti-polio campaign in
the province is being conducted in two phases.
In the first phase, an anti-polio campaign was conducted from January 2 to January 6 in Bannu, Lakki Marwat, North Waziristan, DI Khan, Tank and South Waziristan (Upper and Lower South Waziristan).
While in the remaining districts of the province, this campaign is ongoing from January 16, 2023.
In the campaign, more than 7.3 million children under the age of five will be administered anti-polio vaccine across the province.
