'Emergence of one polio case undid all our hard work'

CM wants legislation compelling parents to have their children vaccinated

KARACHI: The emergence of a polio case in Karachi has undone all the hard work that was put in to make the city polio free.

Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said this while presiding over a meeting of the task force for polio eradication at the Sindh Secretariat on Thursday. "There should be a legislation making it compulsory to vaccinate against polio in Sindh," he added.

The meeting was attended by Sindh Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) Chairperson Dr Azra Pechuho, Health Minister Dr Sikandar Mandhro, Chief Secretary Rizwan Memon, Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar and Health Secretary Dr Fazlullah Pechuho along with representatives of World Health Organisation (WHO) and United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF). Karachi Commissioner Ejaz Ahmad Khan, the deputy commissioners of Karachi, commissioners from other divisions of Sindh and Karachi Additional IG Mushtaq Mahar were also present at the meeting.



While giving a presentation, Provincial Coordinator of EOC for polio Fayyaz Jatoi informed the meeting that polio was seemingly eradicated in Karachi and even the environment samples were clear until March, 2017, following which the virus reappeared and subsequently resulted in a case of polio in a seven-month-old child whose family had refuse to vaccinate him.

The CM suggested that elders of local communities and influential personalities such as religious leaders should be involved in the campaign to convince the parents that the administration of polio vaccine to their children is a must to eradicate the crippling disease. "I will personally visit the areas where the refusal rate is high," he announced, directing the Karachi commissioner to make necessary arrangements for his visit. He also urged the mayor to accompany him.

The CM observed that the polio situation has improved in the province, as in 2016 eight cases of polio were reported in Sindh, while this year only one has been reported so far.



The meeting was also informed that polio virus had been found in Kamber Shahdadkot district last month. On this the CM directed the health minister to remove the district health officer (DHO) of Kamber Shahdadkot. "Take action against those health officers who are negligent in this campaign," he ordered.

Lame excuses

The CM was informed that people from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) frequently visit Karachi and they may be the carriers of polio virus due which a new case emerged in the city. Shah, however, termed it a 'lame excuse' for the failure of the authorities.

"K-P and Fata are so far polio free areas. How can people bring polio virus from a polio-free zone?" he questioned directing the health department, divisional administration and others concerned authorities to take drastic measures to control the situation.



The CM directed the mayor to hold a meeting with all the chairpersons of district municipal corporations and give them instructions to mobilise their health department to fight against polio. Akhtar proposed that an awareness drive with a video message of the CM be launched to address the parents who refuse police vaccine.

As many as 152,406 children have missed being vaccinated against polio, Jatoi said. He expalined that 51,233 children were not available at their houses when polio teams visited them, while 24,970 refused and 76,203 were missed.

It may be noted that the next polio campaign in Sindh is starting from tomorrow (September 16) and will end on September 18. The target population of children under five years of age in the province is 8.4 million, including 2.3 million in Karachi.



Meanwhile, the Directorate of Inspection and Registration of Private Institutions has directed all private schools in the province to cooperate with the polio eradication teams and allow and facilitate them to vaccinate all children under five years of age in the school premises. Failure to do so would result in the cancellation of registration of the institution as per the Sindh Private Educational Institution (Regulation and Control) Ordinance 2001, Amended Act 2003, ruled 2005.