Khyber Pakhtunkhwa August 27 anti-polio drive to be launched

Following detection of polio positive cases in various districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, health authority plans to launch a special vaccination drive from August 27, in more than 152 Union Councils of four high risk districts in the province. The special campaign had been designed after the detection four positive cases of polio in different parts of the KP. During the three-day anti polio drive, more than 1.9 million children below age of five will be vaccinated. An official of health department told this scribe that the recently positive cases were detected in Peshawar, Charssada, Mardan, and Lakki Marwat districts. The official further informed that the civil administration had asked to take legal action against elders of families who refuse to administer polio drops to their children. Before initiation of three-day anti polio drive, all co-ordinated efforts had been placed by consulting health authority and civil administration at district level to carryout drive more effective and diligent way, aimed at to come down the soaring number of refusal polio cases in the province. "The health department is going for a special polio eradication drive from August 27," said Dr Janbaz Afridi, Deputy Director of the Provincial Expanded Polio Immunisation (EPI) Programme. He further informed the anti polio drive will be carried out more than 152 union councils (UCs) with a target of 1.9 million children below the age of five years. Dr Afridi further explained that the special campaign would be specifically targeted in 48 UCs of Peshawar, 18 from Charsadda, 33 from Lakki Marwat and 44 from Mardan to get vaccinate children below the age of five year. This year, more than 29 polio positive cases were so far detected in the country; out of which 21 were reported from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. As many as 21 cases, 13 were reported from various tribal agencies whereas the remaining eight were reported from different districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he explained. He added that about three cases each detected in Sindh and Punjab and two were reported from Balochistan. Both the health authority and civil administration are being faced enormous difficulties to carry out anti polio drive in most parts of conflict hit tribal region. It was reported that more than 200,000 children had been deprived from polio vaccination due to ban in North and South Waziristan agencies. Similarly, the inaccessibility is another biggest issue for polio eradication teams. Owing to prolonged curfew and conflict in lawless Tehsil Bara, Khyber Agency, campaign had suspended from September 2009, in the agency. A total of 13 cases were reported in FATA, 10 cases detected in Bara, Khyber Agency. According to official figure, more than 150,000 families from Bara are living as internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Peshawar and its adjoining areas due to endless military operations in the agency, whereas the internal migration has another bigger obstacle to get rid from the polio disease.