DC directs to register FIR’s against parents refusing polio vaccination

RAWALPINDI: Deputy Commissioner Umer Jhangir Tuesday directed Assistant Commissioners of all tehsils to follow up polio refusal cases and if anybody refused to vaccinate polio drops to their children continuously after convincing lodged FIR”s against them.

Chairing a meeting to review anti-polio arrangements ,the DC directed health department to devise optimal micro plan for anti-polio campaign to be started from January 21 to 25.

Umer said that as environmental samples for polio virus tested positive consecutively, so there is need to revise anti-polio plan on scientific basis.

The DC directed the officials to give special attention to those areas which have been marked by the World Health Organization (WHO) as low performing.

Jhangir said Polio is a National issue and it is responsibility of all to play an effective role to make the country polio free.

On the occasion, Health official briefed the meeting that with the coordinated efforts of Government and WHO, polio workers have been trained to accomplish the target set of vaccinating 8,48,250 children below five years of age.

Sharing details of arrangement for Anti-Polio Campaign, he said that 6304 officials including 2333 mobile teams,287 fixed points,119 transit points, 221 Union council medical officers and 496 area incharges would administer polio drops to above 848,250 children less than five years in the district.

During the last polio campaign that concluded in December, 3228 children were unattended while 405 children’s parent refused to vaccinate polio drops to their children, he informed.

He further told that after convincing their parents the number of refusal cases decreases to 351 while unattended were 2709.