Anti-polio campaign launched

More than250,000 health workers have fanned out across Pakistan to vaccinatemillions of children against polio in a week-long drive, officials saidyesterday, in the country’s push against the crippling disease.The drive would target 38.6mn children under the age of five, said Safdar Rana, who leads Pakistan’s fight against polio.Thechildren of Afghan refugees who frequently travel between the twocountries would also be administered the vaccine, Rana added.Pakistan and Afghanistan are two of a few countries in the world where polio remains endemic.TheUN-funded vaccination campaign has, however, helped Pakistan to controlthe spread as the number of new affected children came down to onlyfour so far this year, compared to 306 in 2014.“Pakistan is at its closest ever to its goal (of polio eradication),” Rana said.Thedisease that cripples children for life spread in the country’smountainous northwest near the Afghan border, which remained under thecontrol of militants linked with Al Qaeda for several years.Themilitants have killed hundreds of health workers and police guardingthem because they believe the polio vaccine is intended to make Muslimchildren sterile.A series of military offensives was launchedagainst religious militants to ensure workers could reach children inpreviously inaccessible areas.