QUETTA    -    The Coordinator of Emer­gency Operation Center (EOC) Balochistan Syed Zahid Shah on Thursday said that the eradication of polio from Balochistan was among the top priorities. He expressed these views while talking to the repre­sentative of United Nation International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNI­CEF) Abdullah Fadel who called on him at his office here. Syed Zahid Shah said that no case of polio was reported in Balochistan during current year which was a good omen, but due to the presence of this vi­rus in other provinces of Afghanistan and Pakistan, the Balochistan was in­cluded in the high risk area. “We are trying our best to eradicate polio from Balo­chistan as soon as possible. For this purpose, scholars, political and religious par­ties and people belonging to other schools of thought are working together in the province”, he said. He said that in Balochistan, there has been a decrease in the number of children who have not been vac­cinated against polio and we were striving to en­sure that every child up to 5 years of age in the province was vaccinated against polio so that they could be protected from lifelong disability. “In this regard, the Emergency Op­eration Center Balochistan is also working with re­gard to awareness among parents, the encouraging results of which were com­ing out, he noted. The UNI­CEF representative, while expressing his satisfaction with the steps being taken by the Emergency Opera­tion Center to eradicate polio in Balochistan, said that UNICEF and other organizations would con­tinue their cooperation for the elimination of polio. He said that along with polio, there was a need to speed up the immunization cam­paign to eliminate other diseases found in children saying that in this regard, Balochistan government and health department also have to play their ef­fective role.