Section 144 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ahead of anti-polio campaign   

Deputy Commissioner Abdul Hameed announced that the restrictions will be in effect immediately across the district for the next week…reports Asian Lite News

In preparation for the anti-polio campaign set to be launched on December 16, Section 144 has been imposed in Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, for seven days, as reported by ARY News on Sunday. 

Deputy Commissioner Abdul Hameed announced that the restrictions will be in effect immediately across the district for the next week. The measures include a ban on carrying firearms, prohibiting two people from riding on a motorcycle together and restricting the use of tinted windows in vehicles. 

Hameed further explained that these steps have been taken in preparation for the anti-polio campaign, which is set to begin tomorrow. He also warned that anyone found violating the restrictions would face strict legal consequences. 

Notably, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is launching the anti-polio campaign on December 16, addressing ongoing challenges such as vaccination refusals, missed targets, fake finger marking, and lack of cooperation from local health authorities and district administrations, ARY News reported. 

Earlier on December 13, Pakistan reported four new polio cases, raising the total for 2024 to 63, according to the National Emergency Operations Centre (EOC). The new cases were detected in Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, Jacobabad, and Sukkur, with the case in Sukkur being the area’s first, The News International reported. 

The EOC noted that the latest case marks the ninth in Dera Ismail Khan and the third in Jacobabad, while the affected child in Sukkur is a boy. This year, polio cases have been distributed across provinces as follows: 26 in Balochistan, 18 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 17 in Sindh, and one each in Punjab and Islamabad. 

Polio, a highly contagious viral disease, primarily impacts children under five, especially those with weak immunity or insufficient vaccination. 

With over 60 per cent of children affected by polio in 2024 having not received routine immunizations, health authorities have formed a high-level committee to enhance coordination between the Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) and the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI). (ANI) 

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