CS Balochistan kicks off anti-polio campaign
Syed Ali Shah:
Chief Secretary Balochistan, Mathar Niaz Rana kicked off an anti-polio campaign in Quetta on Monday morning. A five-day anti-polio campaign was launched in 16 districts of Balochistan to eradicate the crippling virus.
The CS administered polio drops to a child in Quetta. The Chief of Emergency Operation Cell (EOC), Rashid Razzaq briefed the CS about the anti-polio campaign in Balochistan.
During the campaign, over 1.6 million children under the age of five years would be provided polio drops, Mr. Razzaq told CS. Other high-level health officials were also present on the occasion.
“We have to eradicate the crippling virus”, CS Balochistan
The CS urged all officials and parents to make the anti-polio campaign a success. “We have to eradicate this crippling virus”, Mathar Niaz Rana stated. He hailed the efforts of polio volunteers providing polio drops to children at the cost of their lives.
Terrorists in the past have repeatedly tarted polio teams in Quetta and other parts of Balochistan. Security has been tightened in all 16 districts of Balochistan to avoid the occurrence of any untoward incident during the campaign.
Mr. Razzaq has however made an appeal to the parents to cooperate with polio teams and provide polio drops to children. The government has given special focus to the Quetta block that includes the Pishin, Killa Abdullah, and Chaman districts of Balochistan.
Quetta block reports over 12,000 chronic refusals
The number of chronic refusals in the block is over 12,000. Although, the health department and UNICEF have formed parents, teachers, religious scholars committees to convince the parents who are refusing polio drops.
So far, Balochistan has reported one polio case from district Killa Abdullah during the current year. The government has stepped up efforts to contain the virus and deployed health workers and polio volunteers to reach out to the chronic refusals. Throughout the province, the number of chronic refusals is over 13,000, health officials said.
