By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The first national immunization campaign of the current year 2023, kicked off on Monday, and 44.2 million children under five years of age will receive the vaccine against poliovirus.
All around the nation, the campaign began. Over 100,000 skilled and committed “Sehat Muhafiz” are working on a vaccination campaign to immunize the targeted youngsters at their door.
“We will succeed in eradicating polio from Pakistan entirely if we can eradicate the poliovirus from southern KP,” said Abdul Qadir Patel, the federal minister for national health services, regulations, and coordination.
Pakistan achieved success against polio
He said Pakistan was not far from the goal, and they were going to reach it as soon as possible. He claimed that Pakistan had achieved enormous achievements in the war against polio, with the virus now only spreading in a small area of Pakistan.
Dr. Shahzad Baig, Coordinator of the National Emergency Operation Centre, highlighted that for the anti-virus campaign to be successful, there must be cooperation at all levels.
They want to make sure that all eligible kids receive vaccinations on time and repeatedly, he said. High-risk locations are our priority, and we want to get rid of the virus from challenging areas while safeguarding the rest of the region, he continued.
“During all vaccination drives, I particularly urge all parents or guardians to get their kids immunized rather than hiding them or denying them from taking the required drops. The polio virus remains in our environment, and until every child has received a complete vaccination, no child is safe, he stated.
Additionally, to help parents and caregivers report missing children, The National Emergency Operation Centre established the “Sehat Tahhafuz” Helpline 1166 and the round-the-clock WhatsApp Helpline 0346-777-65-46. Polio vaccination campaigns must be repeated to increase child immunity and lower the risk of death or paralysis for the rest of their lives.
