Nationwide anti-polio vaccination drive to conclude with 97% coverage

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan-wide anti-polio campaign’s final day is proceeding with full speed, the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) stated on Sunday

As per the NEOC report, 97% of targeted children have been effectively given the anti-polio vaccination during the six-day campaign. Ninety-seven percent of children in Punjab and Sindh have received the vaccine; coverage in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is 98%, and in Balochistan, 97%.

Azad Jammu and Kashmir met 98% of its goal, whereas Gilgit-Baltistan and Islamabad surpassed expectations by immunizing 101% of the estimated youngsters.

The NEOC also noted that the coordinated polio effort in Afghanistan and Pakistan is moving along well. Parents are encouraged to make sure every child under the age of five gets their polio drops and swiftly follows their normal immunization plan.

Earlier, to attain a polio-free Pakistan, President Asif Ali Zardari urged the public, including the media, educators, religious scholars, and the community, to raise awareness and offer their support for the polio vaccination campaign and help to dispel related myths.

Parents should welcome vaccinators so that every child gets the life-saving polio drops, I urge them. I encourage community seniors, educators, and clergy to promote this great cause so that trust may be established and misconceptions debunked.

In his message on the launch of the nationwide polio eradication effort aimed at 45.4 million under-five youngsters, which began on Monday, the president urged the media to emphasize the truth: the polio vaccine is safe, effective, and our best weapon.

He restated his total support for his daughter, Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, the First Lady, whose tireless campaigning and efforts had mobilized Pakistan in this battle against polio.