Quetta DC Mehrullah Badini inaugurates anti-polio campaign

QUETTA: Deputy Commissioner Quetta Mehrullah Badini formally inaugurated the anti-polio campaign, starting on 2 November, by giving polio drops to a girl. Speaking to the media, he appealed to parents, ulema, tribal elders, teachers, social leaders and all sections of society to play their full part in eradicating polio completely. He also asked them to cooperate with the district administration and the Health Department for the success of the campaign.

Parents and polio workers

The Deputy Commissioner stressed that polio is a dangerous disease that causes disability. He said it was therefore extremely important to give polio vaccine drops on time to keep children safe. He said parents must have all their children under five years of age given the drops in every anti-polio campaign, even if the children had been vaccinated several times before.

Parents were urged to cooperate fully with the polio teams, welcome the polio workers who visit their homes and ensure that no child is left without polio drops. According to him, even slight negligence by parents can endanger the health and future of children. He said it was therefore the responsibility of every family to take this national duty seriously.

He said polio workers go from house to house to give children the protective drops as a national duty. He said it was the duty of everyone to cooperate with them and encourage them.

Shared responsibility of society

The Deputy Commissioner also stressed that ending polio is not the responsibility of the government or the Health Department alone. He said the joint efforts of every individual and all social groups were essential to achieve this goal.

Ulema were asked to raise public awareness of the importance of the polio vaccine in mosques, seminaries and other religious gatherings. Tribal elders, teachers, political and social leaders and the media can also play an important role in raising public awareness and building parents’ trust.

He said only the active involvement of the community, the trust of parents, the cooperation of ulema and the coordinated efforts of the institutions concerned can make the campaign to end polio a success. Deputy Commissioner Mehrullah Badini pledged that all available resources would be used to protect children from polio and to make the whole country, including Quetta, polio-free.

Citizens were urged to cooperate fully with the district administration and the Health Department during the anti-polio campaign starting on 2 November, so that no child is left without the protective polio drops.