Anti-polio campaign begins in Karachi, Hyderabad

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ISLAMABAD: Four-day anti-polio campaign has begun in Karachi on Tuesday and will continue till May 27.

Commissioner Karachi Asif Haider Shah initiated the drive after inoculating polio drops to children in Sindh Government Hospital, reported a private news channel.

More than 2.2 million children will be administered with polio vaccine for which over 6220 teams will participate in the campaign. Heavy contingent of Rangers and police will be deployed for the security of volunteers.

In Hyderabad, the deferred polio campaign has been relaunched that will continue till May 26. The campaign will administer polio drops to as many as 3,10,599 children.

1964 polio teams have been arranged for the purpose who will visit houses, hospitals, dispensaries and railway stations to vaccinate the minors.

An attack on an anti-polio team in Karachi in April martyred seven policemen resultantly, a drive, ongoing in Multan was deferred for as many as seven days.

However, number of polio cases has declined in the recent years in Pakistan. Year 2015 witnessed 54 cases in the country which was an 80 percent fall from the earlier figures.