Altaf Hamid Rao.
Over 68000 children to be immunized the anti-polio vaccine in Mirpur district,
MIRPUR (AJK): (Parliament Times) A total of 68025 children under five years of age would be administered anti-polio vaccine during the 5-day nation-wide campaign in Mirpur district to be launched across AJK from Monday – August 17, official sources said.
The campaign to be commenced across AJK by the AJK Health Department with the collaboration of the World Health Organization (WHO), disclosed Mirpur District Health Officer, Dr. Fida Hussain, while unveiling the schedule of immunization campaign against polio in the district – on the eve of the inauguration of the drive here on Saturday.
Deputy Commissioner Raja Tahir Mumtaz Khan and Director (Retd) AJK Health Services Dr. Muhammad Iqbal inaugurated the campaign by administrating anti-polio-vaccine and vitamin ‘A’ drops to the children under 05 years of age at the DHO office.
The ceremony was attended among others by representative of the World Health Organisation in AJK Lady Dr. Mariya Zulfiqar, Additional DHO Dr. Iram Batool, FMO Dr. Fatima Yaqoob, District Coordinator Ntional Program Dr. Farhat Zaffar and other officials of the State Health Department.
Talking to our Special AJK Correspondent Altaf Hamid Rao on this occasion, Dr. Fida revealed that no case of polio diseases has emerged any where in Azad Jammu & Kashmir since last ten year.
He said that Mirpur district is comprising the total population of 4,38,319 persons which included over 68 thousand children of under five years of age.
“The district has been divided into four zones with the induction of the one supervisor in each zone to implement the drive”, he said adding that one Ward In charge will supervise the campaign in the determined area falling in each Union Council in the district. A total of 55 Union Councils / Ward Incharges will look after the campaign in all 55 union councils in the district.
Elaborating the district-wise anti-polio drive, Dr. Fida Hussain further said that a total of 228 mobile teams of paramedical staff involving over 400 para-medical workers have been constituted and 33 fixed centers have been set up in the district to immunize the children with the anti-polio vaccine.
The mobile teams, he said, will visit door to door by strictly acting upon the already devised SOPs in view of the still prevailing but controlled COVID-19 in the state, to administer anti-polio drops to children under five years of age.
Dr. Faida underlined that in view of the novel-corona virus apprehensions the transit points have not been set up this time of the anti-polio drive in AJK including Mirpur district. “Only the mobile teams will visit door to door to feed the children with the anti-polio vaccine during the campaign. At least four thousand vials of the anti-polio vaccine and vitamin ‘A’ drops have been managed for the vaccination during the campaign, he added.
He said that Catch up teams will remain alert to administer the polio drops on the fourth and fifth days even after the conclusion of the 05-day drive across the district.
He strongly suggested that there was earnest need of accountability and commitment to this global cause for achieving the target for complete eradication of this fatal disease.
The DHO advised the parents to cooperate the visiting mobile paramedic teams to make the national anti-polio campaign complete success.
To a question, he pointed out that no any case of polio disease to any child was reported in Azad Jammu Kashmir during last one decade. He said that the services of the doctors and para-medical staff to make the anti-polio campaign a complete success all the time were highly commendable.
Meanwhile identical arrangements have also been made in other both Kotli and Bhimbher districts of Mirpur division for the immunization of children up to five years of age with the anti-polio vaccine during the drive.
It may be recalled that the process of the frequent nation wide anti-polio campaign across the country including AJK was formally launched first in 1994 where at least 1800 cases of polio were detected and as a result of the continued successful campaign against this disease, these polio cases were reduced to 27 in the year of 2005.
No any polio case has been detected in Azad Jammu Kashmir since the year of 2000 following the frequent extensive nation-wide campaign against polio.
“Although no any polio case has been detected in AJK since 2000, yet it was earnest need of accountability and commitment to this cause for achieving the target to discourage the appearing of this fatal disease”, renowned physician and experts of family medicines Dr. Khalid Yousaf said.
Talking to this scribe here Saturday on the eve of the formal inauguration of the 05-day campaign, Dr. Khalid advised the parents to cooperate the visiting mobile paramedic teams to make the scheduled August 17 – 21 five day anti-polio campaign complete success in the State including this district..
