LAHORE/PESHAWAR, Pakistan: A three-day polio vaccination drive has been suspended in Punjab province due to security reasons.
The sources said that the anti-polio drive was scheduled to begin in nine districts of Punjab on Monday. However, the health authorities in the province suspended the drive, citing security reasons.
Meanwhile, the anti-polio campaign has been launched in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday morning.
The sources said that about 2.9 million children will be administered polio drops during the next three days.
The provincial health authorities have constituted over 8,000 teams to administer anti-polio drops to children.
The arrangements have also been made to administer vaccine to children at bus stops and railway stations.
Pakistan has witnessed nearly 300 polio cases during the current year and continues to be one of the three countries in the world where polio is still categorized as an endemic viral infection.
In recent years, the governments’ attempts to eradicate the crippling disease in the country have been badly hit by attacks on polio vaccination teams.
The militant groups continue to target polio workers, claiming that the polio vaccination is a cover for espionage or a Western conspiracy to sterilise Muslims.
