RAWALPINDI: The district health department has launched an anti-polio campaign in the district to administer the anti-polio vaccine to more than 700,000 children.

A total of 1,700 teams have been formed across the district, 85 of which are especially deputed at the transit points like the railway stations, airports, bus stands and toll plazas.

Executive district officer for health, Dr Zafar Iqbal Gondal, said that the Rawalpindi district is highly vulnerable, as there is mass movement of people coming from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where most of the people have not been vaccinated against polio.

He said that the environmental sample of the sewerage was positive in December 2013, but due to the efforts of the health department, the World Health Organisation (WHO) found no polio virus in the sewerage of the nullahs in February 2014.

He said that the government of Punjab had appreciated the health department for launching campaigns to administer the polio vaccination to all the children in the district.