Staff Reporter
LAHORE:The Punjab government will launch the national anti-polio campaign across the province from October 13, aiming to vaccinate more than 22.5 million children. The campaign will continue for seven days in Lahore and for five days in all other districts.A meeting of the Provincial Task Force on Polio Eradication was held at the Civil Secretariat on Thursday, chaired by Provincial Health Minister Khawaja Imran Nazir. The task force expressed serious concern over the detection of poliovirus in environmental samples from Lahore. It was decided that a special anti-polio campaign would be launched in 122 union councils of the city in November. The meeting also directed that special security measures be ensured for polio teams working in Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur, Rahim Yar Khan, and Mianwali.Speaking on the occasion, Health Minister Khawaja Imran Nazir said that while Punjab has made remarkable progress in eradicating polio, the persistent presence of the virus remains a serious threat. “It is absolutely critical that every child receives the polio vaccine to stop its transmission,” he stressed. He also emphasized the need to focus on ‘missed children’ — those who remain unvaccinated during the campaign.Chief Secretary Zahid Akhtar Zaman directed deputy commissioners to ensure vaccination coverage in flood-affected areas and to deploy dedicated teams at inter-provincial borders and transit points to immunize mobile populations. “By addressing operational gaps and improving coordination, we can achieve complete eradication of poliovirus in Punjab,” he said.Adeel Tasawur, Head of the Punjab Polio Eradication Program, briefed the meeting that more than 200,000 polio workers would participate in the upcoming campaign across the province.The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Punjab Zahid Akhtar Zaman, Chief Minister’s Focal Person on Polio Uzma Kardar, secretaries of the health, home, and education departments, and representatives of international organizations working on polio eradication. Divisional commissioners and deputy commissioners joined the session via video link.
