PESHAWAR, Nov 30: The NWFP health department has launched an anti-polio campaign and it will vaccinate an estimated seven million children below the age of five years in the city, says Dr Mosam Khan, executive health officer, Peshawar District.

He said that 6.8 million children will be administered polio vaccine drops by 1,624 teams in 94 union councils during the three-day campaign which commenced from Tuesday.

"We would be vaccinating children, including some 2.3million Afghan refugees" he said. He said that anti-polio drops would be administered at 114 health facilities in addition to mobile teams carrying out door-to-door visits.

He said that six doctors of the World Health Organisation and two of the Unicef were also supporting the anti-polio drive. There was also a reserve force of 1,500 trained volunteers as reserve who would be deployed wherever needed.

Meanwhile, deputy director Expanded Programme on Immunisation Dr Waheed Khan said that so far only seven cases had been reported from the NWFP and Fata, which itself was a "success" because 33 cases had been reported during the corresponding period last year.

He also admitted that many of the polio victims had been diagnosed positive despite the fact that they had been given anti-polio drops. "A recent study showed that children in Pakistan needed at least 10 doses," he said.