950 cops to provide security to vaccinators

Parents urged to cooperate in campaign to help eradicate virus

ISLAMABAD: As the capital gears up for the first anti-polio drive of the year, law enforcers in the city have announced stringent security for vaccinators as they launch an immunisation campaign in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi today (Monday). As many as 950 policemen along with personnel from the paramilitary Frontier Constabulary will be deployed to provide security to polio teams. Senior Superintendent of Police (Operations) Sajid Kiani has devised a security plan following the directions of IGP Islamabad Dr Sultan Azam Temuri. Apart from the deployment of police and FC personnel, all Zonal superintendents of police would supervise security arrangements in their assigned areas. Moreover, SDPOs and SHOs have been directed to maintain coordination with doctors and polio teams.  As a part of this security plan, Rangers and police will keep patrolling various areas while commandos of the Eagle and Falcon Squads will remain alert to counter any untoward situation.



An officer of inspector level will be the focal person who will sit in the control room at the Deputy Commissioner’s office to get firsthand information about the overall situation. Police and security personnel have been provided with the necessary weapons and ammunition for the security of polio teams while squads of policewomen have also been directed to remain on alert to respond to any emergency. The SSP has directed all police officials to brief staff deputed for security duties of polio teams.

Polio drive Meanwhile, the Rawalpindi district health officials have finalized arrangements to kick off a five-day anti-polio drive from January 15 (Monday).



The drive is targetting around 840,000 children. District Health Officer Dr Muhammad Suhail Chaudhry told APP on Sunday that during the campaign, 221 medical officers and 496 area in-charge had been appointed, while 2,333mobile teams, 287 fixed points and 119 transit points had also been established. He added that senior staff of the health department would monitor the campaign while special counters would be set up at public parks, railway stations, bus stands, wagon stands, airport and other transit points.    He said all possible steps had been taken by the department concerned to make the campaign a success.

“Sufficient quantity of vaccine was available, and no stone would be left unturned in our efforts to make the campaign a success,” Chaudhry said. He urged the citizens, particularly parents, to come forward and play their role in the elimination of the crippling disease. "The parents should cooperate with special teams so that the set target could be achieved,” he urged. The twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, had been termed as the “Achilles heel” of the national immunisation programme by the international polio watchdog — the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI). The IMB in its report late last year had noted that effectiveness of health workers in a place like Islamabad was limited. It had further identified the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi as a ‘third hotspot’ where the virus had found a new home.



“Isolates from Islamabad and Rawalpindi mean that there is transmission outside the core polio reservoirs, the report noted, adding that the transmission ‘ping-pong’ between the twin cities and extends to adjoining areas,” it noted. The Pakistan Polio Programme leadership too had described Islamabad as, “Our Achilles heel for some time now”. Based on those findings, the civil administration in Islamabad had decided to enhance the number of vaccinators for the immunization campaign, increased to 387 from the 280 previously deployed. Moreover, the immunization campaign in the capital is expected to last for six days instead of the general three or five-day campaigns. Further, the number of female workers has been increased as well. WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM APP

Published in The Express Tribune, January 15^th, 2018.