Anti-polio drive in Fata tomorrow

PESHAWAR: A three-day anti-polio campaign would start in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) tomorrow (Monday).

The campaign will continue for three days followed by catch-up activities to vaccinate missed children.

The security forces would provide security to the vaccinators.

In Fata and Frontier Regions, 1029,179 children below the age of 5 years would be vaccinated.

Some 3,668 mobile, 326 fixed and 131 transit teams had been set up to vaccinate children against the crippling disease.

Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra recently told a meeting, “Fata is almost polio-free and the tribal agencies will make eradication a reality by ensuring high quality campaigns and reaching out to each and every child.”

Pakistan recorded 19 confirmed cases of polio in 2016 compared to 54 cases in 2015.  Only two of the 19 cases were reported from South Waziristan.