Nationwide anti-polio campaign to begin tomorrow

SAR-I-PUL (Pajhwok): An anti-polio vaccination campaign was launched in northern Sar-i-Pul province on Sunday a day before a nationwide drive, targeting more than 200,000 children under five years of age.

Polio Free Afghanistan said on its Facebook page, it would launch the first sub-national polio vaccination campaign of the current year tomorrow.

It asked people to play their part for a Polio Free Afghanistan.

Officials in Sar-i-Pul said a four-day anti-polio vaccination campaign was launched today, targeting 200,000 children under five in the province.

Deputy Governor Maulvi Khal Mohammad Haqqani said: “Officials are cooperating in the implementation of polio vaccination, mullahs, imams, influential people and villagers have been told to cooperate with the polio vaccination campaign. It is the duty of all sections of society to fight against polio and save children from the crippling disease”.

Haqqani urged local media to work on raising awareness about the polio vaccine and that no child under the age of five should be denied vaccination.

Hafiz Naqibullah, deputy director of public health department, explained during the four-day campaign, 200,000 children under the age of five would be given the drops in Sar-i-Pul province.

Polio vaccination teams are implementing the drive on a door-to-door basis and are trying to ensure that no part of the province is left out, he added.

The success of this campaign depends on cooperation of the people and various social institutions.

According to Abdullah, a tribal elder, “We thank the government and international organizations for the free vaccination. Families are ready to cooperate with health teams”.

Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only countries where polio remains endemic and the continuation of these campaigns is vital to completely eradicate the virus.

hz/ma