Peshawar: Pakistani police on Monday arrested over 450 parents for refusing to vaccinate their children during a fresh anti-polio campaign Peshawar to eradicate the crippling disease from the country which contributes nearly 80 per cent of polio cases reported globally.
Police arrested 471 parents who refused to administer polio vaccine to their children during the ongoing two-day anti-polio campaign, Deputy Commissioner Peshawar Riaz Khan Mehsud said.
The parents have been been shifted to Peshawar Central Jail, he said, adding that more than 1000 arrest warrants were issued for parents who had refused the vaccination. A crackdown for arrest of the remaining accused has been initiated, police said.
The anti-polio drive is underway in the 92 union councils of Peshawar, which will cover over 700,000 children up to age of five. As many as 27,714,68 children under five years of age would be vaccinated in 21 districts in Khyber Pakthunkhwa while over 854,000 children would receive vaccination in Fata against nine fatal diseases including polio, TB, tetanus, hepatitis and measles, according to Khyber Pakthunkhwa health department.
The campaign would also continue in tribal areas where teams comprising Fata secretariat and volunteers would vaccinate children against fatal diseases. According to WHO, Pakistan is responsible for nearly 80 per cent of polio cases reported world wide.
The number of polio cases recorded in Pakistan last year were 306, the highest in 14 years. The country is one among three countries in the world where polio remains endemic. To prevent the possible spread of the polio virus from Pakistan to other countries, the WHO imposed strict travel restrictions on the country.
Militant groups often attack polio teams as they see vaccination campaigns a cover for espionage. There are also long running rumours about polio drops causing infertility. Pakistan is making efforts despite odds to eradicate polio and vaccination campaigns are frequently launched to reach the targeted population.
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