LAHORE, November 30: Special Assistant to Punjab Chief Minister on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan has said that the Punjab government launched on Monday 30th November to 4th December 2020 an effective five-day anti-polio campaign in the province. She said that the government reaffirms its commitment to eradicate polio and making the Punjab polio free.
Addressing a press conference here on Monday, she said that the Punjab government is running a comprehensive awareness campaign to strengthen polio eradication efforts. She said that over 20 million children are being vaccinated in all 36 districts of Punjab and about 120,000 workers and supervisors are taking part in this campaign. She said that in 2020, 14 polio cases were reported in Punjab.
The rise in polio cases is observed due to a long gap in the polio campaign due to COVID-19 which left a large pool of vulnerable children and allowed the virus to spread, she stated. She said that in order to protect the health of polio workers, precautionary measures have been ensured as per SOPs at the district, tehsil and local level. She said that all the relevant ministers and members of the assembly will also take part in the anti-polio drive in their respective districts whereas the district and tehsil administration will monitor the anti-polio campaign. She said that the children coming from other provinces will also be vaccinated during the campaign.
She said that there is need to carry out collective efforts for the success of anti-polio campaign therefore, parents must vaccinate their children. I request media to also play its part and give awareness to the masses to materialize the dream of polio free Punjab into reality, she added.
