Anti-polio campaign starts in Fata today

PESHAWAR: First anti-polio campaign of this year in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) starts today (Monday) to help keep zero case status in the region as reported last year.

The three-day vaccination drive will be conducted, under the supervision of agency surgeons. The security will be provided by the political agents, commissioners and law-enforcement forces. The campaign will continue from January 15 to 17. It will be followed by a catch-up of the missed children.

A total of 10,25,429 children below the age of five years will be administered polio drops by 4,365 teams. There will be 3, 80 mobile, 285 fixed and 100 transit teams. Emergency Operation Centre Coordinator for Fata Muhammad Zubair Khan, advised the Fata EOC Team to focus on both polio high risk settlements as well as mobile population to ensure vaccination of all under five years' old children in Fata. The Fata EOC coordinator added: "We should concentrate on vaccinating high risk mobile children moving to and from the polio reservoir areas and the persistently missed children."

"We are close to eradicate polio in Fata. We have achieved the goal of keeping zero polio case status in Fata during 2017. And we have extraordinary opportunity to achieve our goal of polio eradication. Our immediate priority should be to meet all requirements needed to secure global certification," he added. The Fata has been without polio case for the last 17 months. The last case in Fata was reported on July 27, 2016. Not a single case was reported during 2017.