Officials, parents brave biting cold to vaccinate children
CHITRAL: The delayed polio campaign got underway in 10 union councils of Chitral on Sunday with officials and workers visiting houses even in remote and snow-capped villages.
The drive in other 14 UCs would be started at a later stage when the weather improves and accessibility becomes possible.
The drive in the 10 UCs, including Arandu, Ashiret, Drosh 1 and Drosh 2, Denin, Koh, Charun and Drasun, was to begin six days ago but it had to be delayed due to snowfall and road blockades in these areas.
Besides door to door visits, mobile units and points were established to administer drops to children on main roads, including near the Lowari tunnel.
For years, Chitral has been a polio-free district but due to the prevalence of the crippling diseases in the neighbouring provinces of Afghanistan, officials always remain on an alert to avoid the risk of the transmission of the virus to Chitral.
It is also a fact that people of Chitral have always played their due role in ensuring the vaccination of their children. – Muhkam Uddin Ayuni