ISLAMABAD, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- An immunization drive to vaccinate over 6 million children under the age of five against the incurable polio virus has concluded in different parts of Pakistan, the country's health ministry said on Wednesday.
The campaign was carried out in parts of Pakistan's Punjab province and seven districts in the southern part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the ministry said in a statement.
Children in 30 other districts that have Afghan refugee camps, union councils bordering Afghanistan, and areas that see frequent population movement, were also provided with the life-saving vaccines, it added.
After last month's nationwide vaccination campaign, this second drive was meant to provide added protection to children and stop the virus from circulating in the communities, Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel was quoted as saying in a statement.
"Until we eradicate polio from Pakistan, it is crucial to ensure repeated vaccination for children under five to build their immunity against this infectious paralytic disease," said the statement. ■