Rawalpindi - Primary and Secondary Healthcare Minister Khawaja Imran Nazeer has directed to make all-out efforts to make the polio drive commencing from April 9 a success.

In a statement, the minister said as per recommendations of the National Emergency Operations Centre, Vitamin-A capsules will also be given to the children to boost immunity system.

He said that Punjab government with the support of Sehat Muhafiz polio teams will ensure that province’s 19 million under five children are fully vaccinated during the campaign.

Secretary Primary and Secondary Healthcare Ali Jan Khan dismissed apprehensions about the efficacy of vaccine, saying that the OPV is one of the safest vaccines ever developed. It is so safe it can be given to sick children and new-born.

It has been used all over the world to protect children against polio, the statement added.

The provincial emergency operations centre has constituted over 44 thousand teams who will go door to door to vaccinate all under-five children in the five-day campaign.

They include teams deployed at major bus stands, inter-provincial borders, airports, railway stations and hospitals, he said.

While giving details District Superintendent Vaccination Rawalpindi Ch. Muhammad Hussain informed that CEO, District Health Authority, Rawalpindi Dr Suhail Ahmed is supervising the overall anti-polio campaign and total of 847,447 children up to five years will be administered polio drops along with Vitamin A in Rawalpindi district.

He further told that 221 Union Council Medical Officers (UC MOs) will supervise anti-polio campaign in their respective union councils while 496 Area In-charge would monitor the smooth working of 2333 Mobile Polio teams in Rawalpindi.

He said that 287 fixed centres had also been established in Rawalpindi besides 119 transit camps.