One million kids to miss anti-polio drive in NWFP

One million kids to miss anti-polio drive in NWFP



PESHAWAR: Around one million children would miss the upcoming anti-polio campaign in militancy-ridden and snow-bound areas of the NWFP, officials said here Saturday.

An estimated 5.5 million children would be vaccinated in various districts and tribal regions during the campaign that would commence tomorrow (Monday). The drive, inaugurated at Peshawar Public School here Saturday, would continue for three days.

Speaking on the occasion, Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) Director Dr Syed Mujahid Hussain Shah said children from public sector schools would assist the teams during the campaign. “About one million schoolchildren and 16,000 polio teams will participate,” he said, adding that the decision to include schoolchildren in the drive would help persuade parents get their children immunised against the disease.

The official said that Kurram, Bajaur, Mohmand agencies and Dir Lower, Hangu, Swat and Shabqadar (in Charsadda) had been excluded from the campaign because of law and order problem. Apart from the troubled regions, the immunisation has also been postponed in the snow-bound districts of Kohistan, Dir Lower and Mansehra. Around one million children in these areas, he said, would miss the polio drops.

On the occasion, Provincial Minister for Education Sardar Hussain Babak said the executive district officers and principals of public sector schools had been directed to participate in the drive. “All civil society organisations and government departments should participate in such programmes of public interest,” Babak said.

The minister said the Education Ministry would participate in the immunisation drive to ensure every child in the province gets vaccinated against the disease. “Hopefully, there will be no poliovirus-affected child in the current year in NWFP,” he remarked.

Minister for Industries Ahmad Hussain Shah criticised the EPI role and said that the Health Department authorities were not justified in their claims. He said the polio cases were repeatedly emerging in the province because of the failure of vaccination drives on account of the security concerns.

The number of polio-hit children is on the rise, as there were only five polio victims in 2005 as compared to 118 in 2008.