Peshawar, 30 December, 2016 - Governor Khyber Paktunkhwa Engineer Iqbal Zafar Jhagra on Thursday said that the latest forensic tests have proven that none of the children in Khyber Agency died due to anti- polio vaccine and directed the concerned authorities to plan the next campaign adequately to ensure that every child is vaccinated in the entire FATA.

“We are very close to make FATA polio free and cannot afford any leniency at this stage when so much has been achieved in the fight against the crippling disease,” he added.

The Governor was briefed by members of the inquiry committee who were looking into the deaths of children associated with vaccination in Khyber Agency. Committee members informed the Governor that laboratory tests of blood have also proven that none of the seven children admitted to HMC after recent rumors has died because of the immunization or polio vaccine.

Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa said ‘no evidence has been found of death with anti-polio vaccination therefore FATA citizens should not listen to baseless propaganda’. He expressed satisfaction on the findings of the report and advised the committee members to conclude the report and share with media as soon as possible.

He said vaccination of children during anti polio campaigns in 2016 stand at 99 per cent, whereas, refusals in FATA are at the minimum in 2016, which shows the commitment of FATA citizen towards polio eradication.

He appreciated polio teams in FATA and said polio teams have worked in challenging circumstances and terrain to vaccinate more than one million children in FATA to save them from paralysis.