Special targeted anti-polio campaign to begin in Pak

Islamabad, July 20 (IANS) A special targeted case response anti-polio campaign will begin on Monday in selected districts across Pakistan.

In Punjab province, a five-day anti-polio drive will be launched in 44 union councils of Faisalabad and 14 union councils of Attock, reports The Express Tribune.

In Karachi, the anti-polio drive is being launched in specific towns including Baldia, Orangi, North Nazimabad and Liaquatabad.

In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, a five-day anti-polio campaign will take place in South Waziristan district.

A five day anti–polio drive is also being launched in 10 union councils of Quetta.

During this campaign children below five years of age will be administered anti-polio vaccines.

Meanwhile, two wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases were reported in Sindh taking the total number of cases reported in Pakistan this year to 58, according to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.

Last year, the overall number of cases stood at 147.

Pakistan and Afghanistan are the two remaining countries in the world where polio is still categorized as an endemic viral infection.

–IANS

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