PESHAWAR: Three-day anti-polio drive has been inaugurated in FATA and Frontier Regions on Monday to reach out to a target population of 767360 children.
Secretary Finance FATA Secretariat Ghulam Qadir and Secretary Social Sectors FATA, Dr Aftab Durrani inaugurated the campaign by administering drops to the children here at FATA Secretariat on Monday.
Polio Country Chief Per Engbek, Director Health Services FATA Dr Fawad Khan, FATA Coordinator WHO Dr Sarfaraz Afridi, Polio Team Leader KP/ FATA Dr Abdalla Arbab and High Risk Coordinator UNICEF Dr Shamsher were present on the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion, Secretary Social Sectors FATA, Dr Aftab Durrani said that despite a number of challenges and issues polio campaigns are carried out regularly in FATA and six campaigns have been carried out so far in 2013 in the entire Tribal belt with the exception of North and South Waziristan agencies.
Dr Aftab Durrani said that due to on-going fighting between militants in Tirah and the resultant volatile situation campaign can't be conducted there but apart from that robust strategy has been made to reach out to every child in tribal area.
Referring to the ban in North and South Waziristan agencies, Dr Aftab Durrani said that in North Waziristan agency there was complete ban but in South Waziristan agency the Mehsood area is accessible and even in Wazir area vaccination was carried out in Army camps. We are trying to reach Wana in South Waziristan agency he told.
Durrani said that in FR Peshawar polio campaign was not carried out since January this year but due to the commitment and support of political agents and Law Enforcing Agencies (LEAs) teams would visit each and every house in the semi tribal area so as to ensure drops to every child.
Secretary Social Sectors said that teams have been deployed on all transit points so to cater to the need of mobile population which is one of the major challenges for the teams.
He said that we have opened up all cross border points for vaccination including Angoor Ada, Ghulam Khan, Torkham, Bajaur and Mohmand.
It is relevant to mention here that a total of 2704 teams have been constituted to reach out to 767360 target population in FATA out of which 2380 are mobile teams, 247 fixed and 77 transit teams.
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