2,800 polio refusal cases reported in Rawalpindi

Administration urges 100% attendance for staff training

RAWALPINDI: Parents of at least 2,800 children have reportedly refused polio vaccination for their offspring during the recently concluded five-day inoculation drive in Rawalpindi.

Officials told a district response committee meeting that authorities are persistently trying to approach and convince parents who did not allow health workers to administer polio drops to their children.

Meanwhile, the district administration has issued instructions to the police authorities, Holy Family Hospital, colleges and educational institutions to ensure 100 per cent staff attendance in anti-polio training sessions. Additional Deputy Commissioner for the district Saima Yonus while addressing the district response committee stressed on the importance of polio eradication and said that the disease should be seen as a national threat.

“Through collective efforts, we can eradicate polio from the country” she said, “We must bring the name of Pakistan under the list of polio-free countries.” She also directed the police department to tighten security arrangements in three sensitive union councils of Taxila city.

Key government officials that attended the district meeting included Chief Executive Officer for Health Dr Khalid, District Health Officer Dr Uzma Hayat, WHO Coordinator Dr Sarwat, Dr Sajjad, representatives of allied departments, deputy district health officers and others.

During the presentation of the monitoring report for the five-day anti-polio campaign between August 29 and September 2, it was told that the drive targeted polio drops for 714,277 children while actual number of children who received polio drops was 7,326.

While presenting details of the anti-polio drive, the Chief Executive Health Officer Dr Khalid said that 2,836 cases previously marked as refusal cases by the polio teams were identified, after which 2,187 cases were covered in the current drive. He also said that 95,524 cases were found to be non-attended from which 90,597 were covered in the current drive. As per the market survey report 1,000 children were checked, out of which 969 were administered polio drops.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 20^th, 2018.