ISLAMABAD: The year 2020’s first nationwide polio vaccination drive is scheduled to start from tomorrow (Monday) aiming to vaccinate 39.6 million children under the age of five years across Pakistan except Karachi that started a week ahead.
During the campaign, over 265,000 frontline polio workers will go street to street and knock at every door to protect Pakistani children against the crippling virus.
On the occasion, Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr Zafar said in a statement on Sunday that: “Building on the successful national campaign in December last year, the nation is all set to undertake aggressive measures to push the virus back during 2020 setting the stage to root out polio from the country once for all.”
“Current geographical spread and the intensity of the virus transmission poses a real risk to our children across the country. Reaching every child during the nationwide door to door campaign would provide the much needed immunity boost to our children and ensure they stay protected from the lifelong paralysis”, said Dr Rana Muhammad Safdar, Coordinator National Emergency Operations Centre.
He said learning from 2019, we have the firm resolve to turn the situation around in 2020. He said the national team urges every Pakistani to assume the role of Sehat Muhafiz ensuring vaccination of own children as well as those around them.
He said it is important for parents and caregivers to welcome Polio frontline workers knocking at their doors and support them in vaccinating children in the neighborhood as well.
Dr Zafar Mirza said that the programme has also launched the “Sehat Tahhafuz Helpline 1166” with local language capacities that allows the public to seek advice and report children that have not been vaccinated due to any reason.