39.5 mln children to be vaccinated under anti-polio campaign.

ISLAMABAD -- A five-day national anti-polio immunization drive will start from Monday to vaccinate 39.5 million children up to five year of age to protect them from this crippling disease.

According to Coordinator National Emergency Operations Centre, Dr Rana Muhammad Safdar, over 260,000 frontline polio workers would go door-to-door to ensure all children under the age of five receive the polio vaccine.

He said all arrangements had been completed so that all children could be immunized across the country and stakeholders had been fully engaged to ensure that the campaign was successful.

'It is possible for Pakistan to eradicate polio with the support of the community. I urge all parents and caregivers to ensure their children are vaccinated,' he said.

He said communities play an essential role to ensure that the national campaign reaches every single child under the age of five.

He urged parents and caregivers to cooperate with the vaccinators who administer the polio vaccine by opening their doors to them.

If any children was missed from the vaccine between December 16 to 20, parents could request to receive it.

He said the Pakistan Polio Eradication Initiative had initiated Sehat Tahhafuz Helpline to assist the reporting of missed children during the national immunization campaign.

He asked the parents and caregivers to contact Sehat Tahhafuz Helpline at 1166 and register their concerns regarding the missed children.

He said polio was a highly infectious disease caused by poliovirus mainly affecting children under the age of five. It invaded the nervous system, and could cause paralysis or even death.

He added that while there was no cure for...