Arrangements for anti-polio drive reviewed.

LAHORE -- A meeting of the chief executive officers (CEOs) and district health officers (DHOs) of 41 districts of Punjab on Thursday reviewed preparations for the upcoming national polio eradication campaign (Jan 16).

Head of the polio programme in Punjab and Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) Coordinator, Mr Khizer Afzaal Chaudhry, chaired the meeting.

Addressing on the occasion, he directed the district health authorities to take full ownership of the campaigns and ensure success of the upcoming national inoculation drive against polio. The EOC coordinator urged the district health administrations to ensure data quality so that 'issues could be identified and rectified timely'. He called on the districts to ensure that polio workers from same area are selected for campaigns.

Talking to the participants, the Punjab polio programme head stressed that there was nothing more important during the polio campaigns. Mr Khizer issued strict instructions about the use of vaccine and urged the CEOs and DHOs to ensure that polio vaccine was used judiciously. 'Districts need to develop an analysis of the vaccine usage with trends so that there is a permanent...