Week-long polio eradication drive begins Monday

2.2m children in 192 union councils will be administered anti-polio drops

KARACHI: Karachi Commissioner Iftikhar Ali Shallwani reviewed  on Friday the arrangements for the week-long polio eradication campaign beginning from Monday, November 12.

According to a press statement from the commissioner’s office, the campaign will be carried out in 192 union councils (UCs) of the city and more than 2.2 million children, up to the age of five years, will be administered anti-polio drops. “As per the arrangements , 13,000 polio workers, including supervisors, will perform their duties to administer anti-polio drops,” the statement reads.



Shallwani directed the deputy commissioners to hold meetings at their district polio control rooms to ensure arrangements for the campaign. Likewise, he also directed them to hold daily meetings at the end of each day during the campaign to review the progress.

The commissioner said that polio eradication is a national cause and it would be the top priority of the government to carry out efforts for the elimination of polio virus from the city.



According to him, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has directed the city administration to take special steps to make the efforts effective for polio eradication. For this purpose, the Sindh government has notified an Emergency Response Unit. The task force is headed by Shallwani so that special focus could be made for polio eradication in high risk and super high risk UCs.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 10^th, 2018.