KATHMANDU: The government is set to launch a two-day special polio vaccination drive in 15 districts to prevent children from being infected with polio virus.

According to Basanta Shrestha, Vaccination Section Programme Officer at Child Health Division under Ministry of Health, the programme is set to administer polio vaccination to 1,692,315 children of 15 districts below five years on February 18-19.

Though Nepal received certificate of polio elimination in 2010, the anti-polio drive has been put in place realising high risks in the country with the prevalence of the disease in SAARC nations including Pakistan and Afghanistan.

It is worth noting that Nepal had obtained the certificate of zero polio country from the World Health Organization in 2014.

The vaccination drive would be in Sunsari, Saptari, Siraha, Dhanusha, Mahottari, Rautahat, Parsa, Bara, Kapilvastu, Banke, Bardiya, Kailali, Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur districts, the Division shared.