KARACHI/QUETTA: A week-long campaign for pollo immunisation will be launched across Sindh and 19 districts of Balochistan on Oct 24, covering over 8.2 million children, including those residing in floodaffected areas.

A meeting of commissioners and officials of the Emergency Operation Centre of Sindh, Unicef and World Health Organisation representatives, presided over by Sindh Health and Population Welfare Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho and Secretary Sohail Rajput on Friday, decided that special focus would be given to 5,314 children `who routinely refuse` polio vaccine in Karachi.

Dr Pechuho said the greatest challenge for polio teams was to reach every single child in the flood-hit areas. She also asked the officials concerned to ensure that children in flood relief camps also get drops.

Meanwhile, the Balochistan emergency operation centre coordinator said the province had been free from pollo for 18 months, yet the weeklong campaign would ensure that nearly two million children were administered pollo drops.

`We are continuing our journey towards a polio-free province,` Mr Shah said.