Five-day polio vaccination drive begins in Balochistan today.

QUETTA -- A five-day vaccination campaign against polio will begin in 20 districts of Balochistan on Monday (today) during which more than 1.2 million children will be administered polio drops.

The coordinator of the Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) in Balochistan, Rashid Razzaq, has said in a statement that all preparations have been made for the anti-polio campaign.

According to him, over 4,500 teams of vaccinators will take part in the campaign during which children under the age of five will be administered polio drops. Among them around 4,000 are mobile teams and 490 camps will be set up in cities and towns and 264 camps at entry points of the province.

Security arrangements for the vaccinators and other people taking part in the anti-polio campaign have been finalised.

According to Mr Razzaq, a large number of personnel of Frontier Corps Balochistan, police and Levies Force would be deployed at the camps and would accompany the mobile teams of vaccinators.

He said religious leaders, including imams at mosques, were being involved in the campaign to reduce the number of refusal cases. They would persuade those parents who are usually reluctant to get their children vaccinated against polio, he said, adding that the religious leaders would also play an important role in removing misunderstandings among people about polio drops.

Over 4,500 teams will take part in campaign

The districts where the polio campaign will begin on Monday are: Barkhan, Bolan, Dera Bugti, Dukki, Harnai, Jaffarabad, Jhal Magsi, Kalat, Khuzdar, Kohlu, Killa Saifullah, Loralai, Mastung, Musa Khel, Nasirabad, Sherani,, Sibi, Sohbat Pur, Zhob and Ziarat.

Urging parents to get their children administered polio drops, Mr Razzaq said that with the support of civil society, religious leaders and media great successes had been achieved in the fight against polio. 'Parents should cooperate with the vaccinators and should not refuse to get their children vaccinated,' he added.

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