National Immunisation Campaign is being held in Punjab from September 26 to 28 with special emphasis on Lahore and Rawalpindi because of positive environmental samples that surfaced last month. During the campaign, approximately 18.4 million children of below five years of age will be catered to across the province.
According to experts, the world has never been in a better position to eradicate polio. The case of Pakistan is key to global eradication and we now have an opportunity to stop polio once and for all.
According to the facts and figures available from health experts, it is good to note that Punjab has not had a single polio case in 2016. Pakistan on the whole has had 14 cases of polio; 7 in KP, 5 in Sindh, 1 in Baluchistan, and 1 in FATA. To ensure further efficiency, authorities involved in tackling polio and other diseases have established permanent transit points at inter-provincial borders to provide vaccines to children from other provinces.
So far so good, to say the least. The Punjab Government is doing all it can and taking all possible preventive measures for the eradication of polio and ensure a healthy future generation. The aim is to build a stronger, prosperous, and developed Pakistan in the coming years.
I would like to make a passionate appeal to the parents to ensure immunisation of their children below five years of age during the upcoming National Immunisation Campaign when the anti-polio vaccination teams visit their areas/localities throughout the province. This earnest appeal comes in view of the persistent reports during previous such campaigns, parents by and large have been quite reluctant and lethargic, and avoided vaccination of their children. This is not a good attitude at all. It is the paramount duty of the parents to ensure a healthy upbringing of their children and they should avail every opportunity being offered in this regard. The Punjab Government is doing its duty quite appreciably by launching the immunisation campaign. The parents should also perform their duty in this regard in a positive and responsible manner to make the immunisation campaign a great success so that desired results can be achieved.
EHSANUL HAQ QAZI,
Lahore, September 25.