Altaf Hamid Rao.
MIRPUR (AJK): Dec. 14 (APP): Like other districts of Azad Jammu Kashmir, all is set to launch four-day national anti-polio campaign in lake district of Mirpur from Monday (December 15), it was officially said.

The campaign was formally inaugurated here on Sunday December 15, to eradicate polio from its roots, District Health Officer Mirpur Dr Fida Hussain told our Special Jammu Kashmir state Correspondent here late Sunday. A total of 76,656 children up to the age of five years are targetted to be immunised in Mirpur district during the 4-day nation wide polio-eradication drive. he disclosed.

Principal State-run Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Medical College Mirpur Professor Dr. Faisal Bashir inaugurated the drive in this district administering polio vaccine drops to children up to the age of five years at the office of the District Health Officer Mirpur.

On the occasion of the inauguration, besides District Health Officer Mirpur Dr. Fida Hussain Raja, Assistant Principal Medical Officer Dr. Fatima Yaqoob, Additional DHO Didial Dr. Shumaila Karan, Deputy Drug Controller Dr. Zaheer Iqbal Babar, District Information Officer Muhammad Javed Malik, District Population Officer Kamran Hussain, Assistant Director Training District Polio Focal Person for Polio Campaign District Mirpur Waqas Ahmed Khan and dignitaries and public representatives, representatives of electronic and print media, as well as employees of the State Health Department were also present and joined the drive administring the polio-vaccine drops to the under-5 children.

Speaking on this occasion. Principal Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Medical College Professor Dr. Faisal Bashir said that polio was a dangerous disease and Azad Ja.mu Kashmir has been polio-free for the past over 25 years. “The State Health Department has played a full role in this regard. For the permanent prevention of polio, we all have to responsibly administer the drops to keep our children safe from polio”, he advised.

He said that our one-minute thought and prevention can save us from a lifelong disease. He said that according to the UHC report, Mirpur district was at the first place in making the polio campaign successful. For this, the role of the Public Health Department team led by District Health Officer Dr. Fida Hussain Raja was commendable. They not only made the polio campaign successful but also raised awareness among the people about the polio disease”, he commented.

District Health Officer Mirpur Dr. Fida Hussain Raja, while giving a briefing on the four-day national polio campaign in Mirpur district, said that teams of the Mirpur district Public Health Department will go door to door in the entire district and administer polio drops to all children up to the age of five.

He said that carrying out the polio campaign across Pakistan and Azad Kashmir as a national and religious duty is not only the responsibility of the government or the Public Health Department, but it is also important for every citizen and people belonging to all schools of thought to play their role in it so that no child below the age of five is deprived of taking polio drops. He said that during the four-day campaign, Mirpur district has been divided into forty-nine union councils/wards and trained supervisors have been appointed to administer polio drops to children up to the age of five in Mirpur district.

As per the instructions of WHO, to make the polio campaign successful, 02 Tehsil Supervisors, 35 Union Council Monitoring Officers and 103 Union Council Ward In-charges have been appointed to supervise the teams at the level of Municipal Corporation Mirpur, Municipal Committee Islamgarh, Chakswari and Municipal Committee Dadial as well as twenty-seven Union Councils. Under the supervision of these in-charges, 943 mobile teams and 42 fixed centers have been appointed at health centers to administer polio drops to 76,656 children up to the age of five years.

Transit points have also been set up at 15 different necessary places for children traveling with their parents. He has appealed to the administration of government and private schools to cooperate with the teams of the Public Health Department visiting homes and schools and ensure that children up to the age of five years receive polio drops. District Health Officer Mirpur said that in the past, the polio campaign was very successful due to the dedication, hard work and good strategy of the AJK Health Department along with the cooperation of the public.

He said that due to the successful strategy of the Public Health Department of the government and the tireless work of the polio teams, no polio case has been reported in Azad Kashmir so far. Without the cooperation of the public, polio cannot be completely eradicated. “To achieve this goal, we have to fully and completely cooperate with the polio teams of the Public Health Department. District Health Officer Mirpur Dr. Fida Hussain said that by utilizing the dedication and hard work of the polio teams, we will achieve the target of 100 percent polio eradication”, he added.