QUETTA: A three-day polio vaccination campaign will begin in 30 districts of Balochistan from Monday during which around 2.4 million children will be inoculated.

Coordinator of Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) in Balochistan Dr Syed Saifur Rehman announced details of the campaign during a press conference here on Sunday.

He was accompanied by Dr Aftab Kakar of N-STOP, representative of World Health Organisation Dr Nasir Abdi and Dr Ashraf of Unicef.

Dr Rehman said 6,661 mobile teams had been formed for the campaign and there would 820 facilitation points and 334 transit points.

He said adequate security arrangements had been made for vaccinators and other members of the teams. Personnel of police and Levies Force would accompany vaccinators and in border areas FC personnel would provide security to polio teams, he added.

He said six polio cases had so far been detected in Pakistan this year.

Dr Rehman said as Pakistan and Afghanistan were the two remaining polio-endemic countries in the world they had decided to make joint efforts for the eradication of the crippling disease.

In a recent meeting held in Kabul, officials of the two neighbouring counties have decidedtoincrease theleveloftheircoordination for improving polio vaccination campaigns, especially in their border areas.

Dr Rehman, who himself attended the Kabul meeting, said that it was decided that every child crossing the border between the countries would be administered polio drops. Besides, special campaigns would be launched in villages located on bothsides ofthe border.

In Balochistan, he said, special focus was being given to nomadic tribes.

He said community volunteers were engaged in the campaign beginning from Monday. Besides, religious leaders, tribal elders and social activities would play their roles for its success, he added.

He said there had been improvement in the standard of polio vaccination campaigns in Balochistan over the past few years and results of campaigns in some districts, such as Qila Abdullah, Pishin and Quetta, showed improvement.

Dr Rehman said being sandwiched between two high risk polio zones Karachi and Kandahar threats still loomed high on Balochistan.