Fighting the virus: ‘Presence of polio is embarrassing for Pakistan’

EOC coordinator hosts polio orientation for additional deputy commissioners

KARACHI: Is it not a matter of embarrassment for Pakistan to still not have eradicated polio?

The question was asked by newly appointed coordinator of provincial Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) for polio, Fayaz Jatoi, during an orientation session with additional deputy commissioners (ADC) from all districts of the city at Sindh EOC office on Monday.

"We should make significant efforts to improve the method to gain results," he remarked.

He later on asked the ADCs to pinpoint the obstacles for attaining the substantial results for eliminating polio virus. On which, the ADCs responded that the challenges in team formation and quality training as well as lack of dispensaries in certain areas are real hurdles.

He also asked technical questions to check the capacity of ADCs such as how to identify a poorly covered area during anti-polio campaigns.

He later explained "Even if you miss one house out of seven, the area is considered to be neglected and poorly covered."

The objective of the session was to share basic facts on polio eradication, clarify roles of district polio control rooms, to identify ways to strengthen oversight, coordination and communication.

The officials were informed that strong routine immunisation, supplementary immunisation activities, sensitive acute flaccid paralysis surveillance and well-planned activities are the need of an hour.

The orientation session was informed that the overall goal is to stop polio transmission in 2016 and sustain interruption through 2017 in accordance with the National Emergency Action Plan for polio (NEAP) for Pakistan.

It was also highlighted that the roles and responsibilities of ADCs include conducting daily meetings, obtain weekly activity updates from all partners and town health officers, review surveillance and EPI activities on a monthly basis, verify and ensure data integrity.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 19^th, 2016.