By Ashrafuddin Pirzada
LANDIKOTAL: To raise awareness about the importance of polio vaccination, the health department, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), organized a day-long community mobilization session at Khogakhel village in Landikotal on Sunday.
Besides the health staff, community leaders, polio workers, and a large number of community members, political leaders, and local government representatives attended the session.
The session focused on raising awareness about the crippling disease of polio, the upcoming polio campaign, key challenges, misconceptions and the importance of community ownership in eradicating the virus.
Speaking on the occasion, polio eradication program district Khyber communication officer Said Afzal Shinwari briefed participants on the dangers of the polio virus, its impact on unvaccinated children and the importance of essential immunization. He also addressed common misconceptions related to polio vaccination, urging the community not to link vaccination with unrelated demands.
He appealed to elders and community leaders to extend full support to polio teams and facilitate eradication efforts in their respective areas, stressing that collective responsibility was the key pillar to a polio-free future.
The session was also addressed by Abdul Raziq, PTI leader, Qari Bilal, religious leader and village chairman Yad Wazir and president Bazaar union.
