Polio emergency operation centre to launch campaign today

One case of polio was reported from Karachi in August

KARACHI: The Sindh Emergency Operation Centre for Polio is launching a polio campaign today (Monday) till November 3 (Friday) in 21 districts of the province including Karachi, Dadu, Ghotki, Jacobabad, Kambar, Kashmore, Larkana, Shikarpur, Sukkur, Badin, Hyderabad, Khairpur, Matiari, Naushero Feroz, Sanghar, Shaheed Banazirabad, Sajawal, Thatta and Jamshoro.
The aim of the campaign is to target 7,127,711 children less than five years of age, out of which 1,748,244 will be vaccinated in 162 union councils of Karachi.



"District administrations and town health management teams have significantly improved the situation however, there is no room for complacency as the virus can return at any time," said Emergency Operation Centre for Polio Coordinator Fayyaz Jatoi. "Our goal is to reach zero cases of the disease," he said.
Jatoi said that Sindh police's efforts and coordination must also be appreciated as they continuously provided the polio team with security so they could carry out vaccinations. "During this campaign, the police will provide more than 5,000 personnel for security cover, patrolling and enabling a safe and secure environment," he added.



In Pakistan, five cases of polio were reported during 2017, which is a historical low. Out of the five cases, only one was reported from Karachi in August. No cases have been reported from the central and northern areas of Sindh since the last year and a half.