LAKKI MARWAT - A grand Marwat jirga has assured its full support to the district administration, health department and its partner organisations in their efforts to eliminate polio and make the district free from the crippling disease.
The assurance was given at a meeting held at the district headquarters complex Tajazai on Thursday. Deputy Commissioner Jehangir Azam Wazir, Additional Deputy Commissioner Noorul Amin, Assistant Commissioner Eid Nawaz Sherani, area elders, tribal chiefs of Betanni subdivision, religious scholars, local bodies members, officials of line departments, representatives of health department partner organisations, political and social activists were in attendance.
The jirga was convened to seek support from all stakeholders.
“Eradicating polio has become a challenge for us as around 12 confirm polio cases had surfaced in Bannu division putting Lakki Marwat district in danger zone and lives of children under the age of five years at stake,” the deputy commissioner said. He said that the district administration with the support and assistance of all stakeholders was ceaselessly engaged in efforts aiming to wipe out the deadly disease completely.
“Having confirmed polio cases in neighbouring Bannu and DI Khan districts there are chances of outbreak of poliovirus in the district,” he feared, adding that the prevailing situation demands dedication and full-fledged commitment on part of all concerned to play an effective role for elimination of fatal epidemic from the district.
Wazir said that a terror incident in tribal subdivision and malicious propaganda against anti-polio vaccine badly affected the quality of previous campaigns.
“Besides causing lifelong paralyse to kids the disease can prove fatal for children up to the age of five years,” he maintained, saying that the children can be saved from crippling disease by administration of two drops of oral polio vaccine to them.
He said that the administration was all set to engage secretaries and members of village and neighbourhood councils in the forthcoming polio eradication campaigns so as to ensure immunisation of targeted population at all costs. The deputy commissioner asked people not to link their demands with vaccination of children.
“Many parents refuse to get their children administered with OPV for want of fulfilment of their demands,” he maintained, adding that demand based refusal by parents can prove dangerous to the health of their children.
He asked people to extend all out support to health department and its partners’ organisations in that regard as active participation on their part would help to make upcoming anti-polio drives a success and to get quality results.
District nazim Iqbal Hussain, district naib nazim Arab Khan, Lakki tehsil naib Nazim advocate Hafiz Asif Saleem, head of Marwat Qaumi Jirga Haji Muhammad Aslam Khan, Maulana Samiullah Mujahid and health experts also spoke on the occasion.
