Altaf Hamid Rao.
MIRPUR (AJK), (Parliament Times) : Like rest across Pakistan, the 05-day integrated nation-wide polio eradication drive began in Azad Jammu and Kashmir on Monday.
The anti-polio campaign will continue till Jan. 12 without any break to immunise at least 7, 42, 500 children under 5 years of age, targeted to be administered the Polio vaccine in all 10 districts of the liberated territory, the,AJK State Health sources told this scribe on Monday.
The AJK State Health authorities continued that in AJK’s metropolis – Muzaffarabad, over 120000 children up to five years of are targetted to be administered the Polio vaccines during the drive, to be continued till January 12 without any pause.
At least 3995 mobile teams of para medical staff have been constituted to visit door to door to administer the polio vaccine drops during the campaign across AJK – where a total of 448 fixed centers at local govt. hospitals and subordinate health facilities, have a been set up by the State Polio Eradication Committee of the AJK State Health Services Department with the coordination of the World Health Organization (WHO), the sources revealed
The total staff to be involved in the AJK-wide national drive include mobile teams comprising over 5000 workers for visiting door to door to immunize the children of and under 5 years of age with the polio vaccine drops during the campaign, the sources underlined.
The fixed centers have been set up at the state-run hospitals, basic health units, rural health centers as well as various other spots to vaccinate the children with the anti-polio drops, the sources eleaborated.
A total of 169 transit points have also been set up for conducting the drive drive under the supervision of the concerned area in charges, the sources said.
The state health department’s Polio Eradication Committee have made adequate arrangement to executive the polio-eradication campaign in a befitting manner, the sources asserted adding that a total of 844 area in charge will supervise the drive at union council’s level across AJK in 35 tehsils and besides a total of 245 Union Council throughout AJK State.
A central polio control room has been se up in the office of the Provincial Program Manager EPI in AJK State’s metropolis Muzaffarabad to monitor the drive besides to receive any complaint by official phone No. 05822-920791.
In lake district of Mirpur, at least 73082 children under 05 years of age will be administered the polio vaccine. District Health Officer Dr. Fida Hussain told this Correspondent here on Monday that in Mirpur district over 400 mobile teams of paramedics in all 28 zones will visit door to door besides serving at the 41fixed centers and the 14 transit points to administer the polio vaccine drops to under~05 children
The DHO Dr. Fida Hussain has advised the parents to fully cooperate the mobile teams of paramedics by getting their children administered with the polio-vaccine by the mobile paramedical staff teams.
It may be added that the state health authorities claimed that there had been no any case of polio disease to any child detected in any part of Azad Jammu & Kashmir during over last 24 years