ISLAMABAD: The National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) has postponed the anti-polio campaign in nine districts of Punjab because of the ongoing monsoon rains and flooding.
According to NEOC, the campaign, which was to be started from September 1, will now be delayed in Lahore, Sheikhupura, Kasur, Okara, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Multan, Muzaffargarh, and Bahawalpur.
However, the campaign will continue as scheduled in Rawalpindi, Attock, Mianwali, Faisalabad, Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur, and Rahim Yar Khan.
The anti-polio drive in other parts of the country will begin as planned on September 1.
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NEOC has urged parents to cooperate with vaccination teams and ensure that all children under the age of five receive polio drops.
KARACHI TOPS IN POLIO VACCINE REFUSALS
Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal has revealed that Karachi has the highest rate of refusals for the anti-polio vaccine.
The minister talking to media said that only Pakistan and Afghanistan still have the poliovirus, adding that the government aims to eradicate the disease soon.
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He announced that a nationwide anti-polio campaign will begin on September 1. However, due to the flood situation in parts of Punjab, the drive in the province will start from September 10, while it will commence in the other three provinces on September 1.
The minister disclosed that poliovirus has been detected in sewage samples from 127 districts across the country. “The only solution to polio is vaccination,” he stressed, noting that 16 out of 26 polio cases reported this year were from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including 13 from southern KP.
Talking about Karachi, Mustafa Kamal confirmed the presence of the virus in the city’s sewage samples and urged parents to ensure their children receive the vaccine.