PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Secretary Mohammad Shehzad Arbab has directed the quarters concerned to ensure quick implementation of the measures announced by the provincial government to ensure complete polio eradication from the province.

He issued the directives while chairing a high level meeting of the Peshawar taskforce on the eradication of polio disease here on Wednesday.

Administrative secretaries concerned, World Health Organisation representatives and other officers attended the meeting, according to a handout issued here.

Mr Arbab stated that among the polio endemic countries, including Pakistan, Nigeria and Afghanistan, the ratio of increase in polio cases during 2012 and 2013 was highest in Pakistan which was alarming and needed to be tackled seriously.

The officials concerned informed the meeting that during the year 2012 there were 58 reported cases of polio which jumped to 85 during 2013.

They said that in the nonendemic countries, the overall reported polio cases were 212 during 2012.

They maintained that Pakistan was the only endemic country where 85 po-lio cases were reported in 2013.

During the meeting district-wise progress reports were also reviewed.

The chief secretary was informed that 9.5 million children would be vaccinated against measles during the current year.

Mr Arbab expressed displeasure over the non-availability of some DPOs in the meetings regarding polio eradication campaign and directed that now onwards the DPOs would attend the meetings regularly and would ensure proper security measures to the polio teams.

The chief secretary also directed that the security issue should be given much importance and that all the deputy commissioners would be bound to review the progress of the polio teams in their respective districts.

Meanwhile, chairing a meeting regarding price hike in the markets, the chief secretary directed for ensuring official rate lists at shops.

He directed price review committees to monitor rates in bazaars and punish profiteers.

Mr Arbab said surprise raids should be conducted and the shopkeepers violating the official rate lists should be dealt with iron hands.

He directed deputy commissioners to ensure that prices of essential commodities were not raised by traders on their own.