Anti-polio drive to cover 71,000 children launched

CHITRAL: A four-day anti-polio drive in Chitral except Broghil was launched on Sunday. The drive will begin on Monday. In Broghil, the drive would be launched when weather conditions improve.

The launching ceremony was held on the premises of the Women and Children Hospital by administering drops to children by minority MPA Wazir Zada, Expanded Promgramme on Immunization (EPI) coordinator Dr Fayyaz Ali Roomi and Assistant Commissioner Chitral Abdul Wali Khan.

Dr Roomi on the occasion said 70,942 children would be covered during the drive for which 509 teams have been constituted, including transit fixed and 1167 mobile teams.

He said the role of parents was vital in the success of the anti-polio drive, and urged citizens to cooperate with the polio teams to make sure Chitral remained polio-free district.

It may be noted that so far this year 100 cases of polio have been reported from different parts of the country against a very few last year.—S. Nazir Hussain