Commissioners review polio drives in Lahore and Sanghar

Commissioners in two provinces reviewed the ongoing national anti-polio campaign this week, with visits to vaccination sites in Sindh and Punjab as teams work to reach millions of children under five.

In Sanghar district, Shaheed Benazirabad Division Commissioner Ghulam Qadir Khan Talpur visited Khipro, Jam Nawaz Ali, Shahdadpur and Tando Adam on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP). Health department officials briefed him on the campaign, deployment of vaccination teams and progress towards assigned targets. He observed teams administering polio drops to children and checked attendance and performance at the sites.

In Lahore, Commissioner Nauman Yousaf visited the LOS Polio Centre, Rasool Park and Samanabad areas on Tuesday, The Nation reported. He inspected vaccination arrangements and marked a child receiving polio drops. Yousaf said 2.285 million children up to five years of age were being administered drops across Lahore during the campaign. A total of 5,825 mobile teams and 371 fixed teams had been deputed, while 214 transit points were being covered. Polio counters had been established at hospitals, and special teams were deployed at all bus terminals and the railway station to vaccinate eligible children.

Yousaf said particular attention was being given to children accompanying visiting families and children of domestic workers to improve coverage. He appealed to parents to cooperate with polio teams visiting every household and play their role in protecting children against the disease. “Polio causes lifelong disability, and protecting our children is our foremost responsibility,” he was quoted as saying.

The APP dispatch did not say how many children were targeted in Sanghar division, while The Nation gave detailed figures for Lahore. Neither report mentioned any disruption to the campaign or new polio cases. The reports came as Pakistan continues nationwide polio immunization rounds to protect children under five in high-risk districts. Health authorities run repeated campaigns because wild poliovirus is still reported in the country.