SARGODHA:A five-day anti-polio drive started in Sargodha on Monday in which 689,870 children of under five years would be vaccinated in the district.
The drive will continue till Feb 30. Deputy Commissioner General Umar Farooq, addressing the opening ceremony of administering polio drops to children at the Government Dr. Faisal Masood Teaching Hospital, said that children are our future and it is our mission to protect every child from lifelong disability. He said that to achieve the 100% target, the District Health Authority should ensure strict monitoring along with the provision of facilities to polio teams, special arrangements for remote areas including nomadic families, river belts and high-risk union councils.
He urged parents and especially mothers to ensure that their children were vaccinated against polio and if teams do not reach there, they should take their children to vaccination centers.
He said that unfortunately Pakistan was among countries where the poliovirus was still present. “People w
ho are working in this harsh weather are our national heroes and their foolproof security has been ensured,” he added.
CO Health Dr. Asad Aslam said that the campaign aimed to vaccinate 689,870 children in the district for which 337 teams, 8,000 volunteers and staff from other departments have been formed.