11th polio drive of 2017 kicks off in Balochistan

QUETTA: The 11th polio drive for 2017 in Balochistan has kicked off, under which not only will the children be immunised against the crippling virus but will also be administered Vitamin A drops to make them physically strong.

According to details provided by Emergency Operation Center Balochistan, the drive will go on for five days in some districts of the province, while it will be carried out for three days in others. The five-day schedule has been planned for high-risk districts — Quetta, Pishin and Qilla Abdullah — while the three-day plan is for the other districts of Balochistan.

The 11th polio drive in Balochistan is an attempt of the authorities and organisations concerned to rid the province of the virus completely so that not a single case is reported after the last that surfaced here in February.

The case was confirmed in an 18-month-old in Chaman area of Qilla Abdullah district. The health department has said parents of the child had refused to administer polio drive. 

The drive would include Vitamin A as, according to health experts, it is vital for children’s immune system and plays a critical role in maintaining their neurological function.

Moreover, as per World Health Organization, lack of Vitamin A can cause visual impairment (night blindness), illness and death from infections such as measles and diarrhoea.

Besides, reducing infant mortality rate is one of the Millennium Development Goals, which Vitamin A can help reach.