BAHAWALPUR - A five-day campaign to eradicate polio will begin on December 16 in which over 824,000 children under the age of five across the district would be vaccinated. It was announced in a meeting chaired by Deputy Commissioner (DC) Dr Farhan Farooq. Assistant Commissioner (AC) of Bahawalpur City, the AC of Bahawalpur Sadr, the District Health Officer of Preventive Services, Deputy District Health Officers, representatives from WHO, and officials from relevant departments were present at the meeting, while ACs from other tehsils participated via video link. The DC said that to ensure the success of the anti-polio campaign, children must be vaccinated, and no child should be left unvaccinated. He instructed that health department officials and those from relevant departments effectively monitor polio teams in the field. During the polio vaccination campaign, officials from the relevant agencies should work with better coordination. The District Health Officer of Preventive Services briefed that from December 16 to December 18, polio teams will go door-to-door to administer polio vaccination to children under five years of age, and any children who miss the vaccination for any reason will receive the vaccine during a catch-up activity on December 19 and 20.
He said that for the polio vaccination campaign, 3,276 mobile teams, 195 fixed teams, and 136 transit teams have been formed. Additionally, he mentioned that 667 area incharges and 132 union council monitoring officers will provide their services during the campaign.