National polio-eradication drive starts in AJK

MIRPUR (AJK), Feb 03:The 5-day integrated nationwide polio eradication on Monday began across Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) with adequate arrangements coupled with great enthusiasm of the parents as routine.
The anti-polio campaign will be continued till February 7, without any pause to immunize at least 7, 42, 500 children under 5 years of age, targeted to be administered the Polio vaccine in all 10 districts of the liberated territory, the AJK State Health Department sources told APP.
Elaborating, the AJK State Health authorities said that in AJK’s metropolis – Muzaffarabad, over 1.30 lakh children up to five years of were targeted to be administered the Polio vaccines during the drive, the sources added.
At least four thousand mobile teams of para medical staff had been constituted to visit door to door to administer the polio vaccine drops during the campaign across AJK – where at least 450 fixed centers at local government’s hospitals and subordinate health facilities had been established by the State Polio Eradication Committee of the AJK State Health Services Department with the coordination of the World Health Organization (WHO), the sources revealed
The total staff involved in the AJK-wide national drive includes mobile teams comprising over 5000 workers for visiting door to door to immunize the children under 5 years of age with the polio vaccine drops during the campaign, the sources underlined.
The fixed centers had been set up at the state-run hospitals, basic health units, rural health centers as well as various other spots to vaccinate the children with the anti-polio drops, the sources elaborated.
A total of 169 transit points had been set up for conducting the driving drive under the supervision of the concerned area in charge, the sources said.
Polio Eradication Committee had made adequate arrangements to executive the polio-eradication campaign in a befitting manner, the sources asserted, adding that a total of 844 areas in charge supervised the drive at the union council’s level across AJK in 35 tehsils and a total of 245 Union Council throughout AJK State.
A central polio control room had been set up in the office of the Provincial Program Manager EPI in AJK State’s metropolis Muzaffarabad to monitor the drive besides receive any complaints, they added.
In the Lake District of Mirpur, at least 76656 children under 05 years of age have been targeted to be administered the polio vaccine.
District Health Officer (DHO) Dr. Fida Hussain told APP that in Mirpur district over 438 mobile teams of paramedics in all 28 zones would visit door to door besides serving at the 41 fixed centers and the 14 transit points to administer the polio vaccine drops to under~05 children
Earlier while speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the 5-day campaign held at the District Health Office with inaugurated by the Divisional Commissioner Ch. Mukhtar Hussain here Monday, the DHO said that arrangements for the district wise nation-wide polio eradication drive had been given final touches. The DHO advised the parents to fully cooperate the mobile teams of paramedics by getting their children administered with the polio vaccine by the mobile paramedical staff teams.
Besides the Div. Commissioner Ch. Mukhtar Hussain, DHO Dr. Fida Hussain, Medical Superintendent Mirpur Div. HQ Teaching Hospital Dr. Amir Aziz and others administered polio vaccine drops to children under 5 years of age at the formal inaugural ceremony.

It may be added that the state health authorities claimed that there had been no case of polio disease to any child detected in any part of Azad Jammu & Kashmir during over last 25 years.