ISLAMABAD: First Lady Aseefa Bhutto Zardari has urged parents, caregivers, public representatives and community leaders to actively support the nationwide polio vaccination campaign commencing on Monday (today).
In a statement, she said the success of the campaign depends on collective responsibility and called on families to ensure that every child under five years of age receives polio drops.
The campaign will continue till 21st of this month. It aims to vaccinate 45.4 million children nationwide, including 23.3 million in Punjab, 10.6 million in Sindh, 7.3 million in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 2.66 million in Balochistan, with the remaining children covered in Azad Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and Islamabad Capital Territory.
Highlighting the risks associated with the winter season, Aseefa Bhutto Zardari noted that poliovirus spreads more aggressively during this period and stressed that no child should be missed.
She shared that the campaign will follow a three-day house-to-house vaccination drive with one catch-up day.
A total of 408,484 frontline polio workers, including area in-charges, Union Council Medical Officers and mobile, fixed and transit teams, have been deployed across the country.
Aseefa Bhutto Zardari also called upon elected representatives, local government officials, religious leaders and community elders to stand with polio teams, facilitate access to communities and help counter misinformation and hesitancy.
