LAHORE: Punjab has decided to set up a special task force of doctors to support the drive against polio across the province, with senior paediatricians enlisted to address parents’ concerns ahead of an anti-polio campaign that begins on September 21 in 13 districts.
Uzma Kardar, the Punjab Chief Minister’s focal person for polio, said the support of senior doctors was extremely important for eradicating the disease. Experienced and senior doctors, she said, would work with the task force to address the reservations and fears of parents.
The decision was taken at a special workshop held at Services Hospital Lahore to accelerate ongoing efforts against polio. Representatives of the Pakistan Paediatric Association and senior doctors took part.
The workshop was chaired by Uzma Kardar and Khalid Pervez, head of the provincial anti-polio programme. Participants reviewed ongoing eradication measures, parents’ concerns, and ways to make the vaccination process more effective.
Khalid Pervez said the anti-polio campaign in Punjab would begin on September 21 and would be held in 13 districts of the province. In Lahore, the campaign will run for seven days, while in the other districts it will last four days.
He said the cooperation of all relevant institutions, medical experts and parents was essential for the complete eradication of polio. The involvement of senior doctors, he added, would make efforts to address parents’ concerns and protect children from polio more effective.
Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only two countries where wild poliovirus transmission has never been interrupted. Although Punjab has far fewer cases than some other parts of the country, the virus continues to be detected in sewage samples from major cities, a sign that it is still circulating and that unvaccinated children remain at risk.
One of the most persistent obstacles for vaccination teams has been refusal by parents, often driven by misinformation about the safety of the oral polio vaccine or by distrust of door-to-door campaigns. Health workers who knock on doors frequently lack the standing to answer detailed medical questions, while a family’s own paediatrician is among the most trusted voices on children’s health. By bringing senior doctors and the Pakistan Paediatric Association into the campaign, the programme hopes to use that trust to reduce refusals and reassure hesitant families.
The longer duration in Lahore reflects the scale of the city — the province’s largest urban centre, with a large, mobile population, including migrant families who move between districts and can be missed by shorter campaigns.
During the campaign, vaccination teams will visit homes and fixed points in the 13 districts to give oral polio drops to children. Health authorities stress that the vaccine is safe and that repeated doses are needed to build full protection, which is why children who have been vaccinated before should still receive drops in each campaign. Children who are sick or away from home when teams visit can be vaccinated at health facilities or on the teams’ return visits.
Parents can also ensure their children are up to date on routine immunisation through the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) at government health centres, which protects against polio as well as measles and other preventable childhood diseases.
The drive comes as a severe measles outbreak in Bangladesh, blamed by experts on gaps in routine immunisation, has claimed more than 1,000 lives, underlining how quickly vaccination gaps can translate into deadly outbreaks.
Leave a Reply