PESHAWAR
Authorities concerned in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have finalized preparations for a province-wide anti-polio campaign scheduled to begin on May 18 with a target of administering polio drops to more than 4.6 million children.
The progress was reviewed during a meeting of the Provincial Task Force for Polio Eradication held here.
The meeting was chaired by the Chief Secretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where officials received a detailed briefing on the four-day vaccination drive to be launched in 23 districts across the province.
Officials informed the meeting that the campaign would continue for seven days in the districts of Peshawar and Khyber.
The Chief Secretary said that Pakistan is close to eradicating polio and emphasized that improved micro-planning, effective monitoring and enhanced campaign quality could help eliminate the disease completely from the province.
He directed authorities to further strengthen micro-planning in areas where new polio cases have recently been reported and immediately address any shortcomings in the campaign strategy.
During the meeting, officials also announced that vaccinators would be provided through modern mobile phones to improve campaign performance and monitoring. Officers and polio workers showing outstanding performance will also be encouraged and rewarded.
The Chief Secretary urged parents to fully cooperate with frontline health workers and ensure that their children receive polio vaccination drops.
