RAWALPINDI:Additional Deputy Commissioner(ADC) General Marzia Saleem Monday inaugurated the five-day anti-polio drive by administering drops to children under five years of age here at her office.
Speaking on the occasion, the ADC directed officials concerned to cover refusal and non-attended children on the same day. She said no polio case had been detected in the district for a decade due to frequent drives but there was a need to remain alert.
She informed that as many as 947,000 children below five years of age would be covered during the drive while the security of polio workers was being ensured.
Sharing details of the arrangement for the campaign, Incharge anti-polio drive Chaudary Muhammad Hussain told reporter that over 3,000 polio teams, 396 areas In-charges and 204 medical officers were participating in the campaign. In addition, children were also immunized at 307 fixed centres and 182 transit points in the district. Hussain said the drive was also being utilized to create awareness about COVID-19 and anti-dengue preventive measures. He informed that around 160,000 children had been immunized on the first day of the campaign.
Meanwhile, the Station Commander and President of Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB), Brigadier Salman Nazar, inaugurated the anti-polio campaign at Cantonment General Hospital (CGH).
He expressed the hope that the target to make Pakistan a polio-free country would be achieved as all-out efforts were being made and anti-polio drops were also being administered to the children in all educational institutions.
In addition, according to a Police spokesman, over 1100 cops have been deployed in Rawalpindi district to ensure the security of anti-polio staff performing duties during the campaign./395