Sindh to be made polio-free by end of 2020, says CM

Murad unhappy at emergence of 14 cases, orders fresh campaign

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah, expressing displeasure over the detection of 14 polio cases in the current year, has directed the provincial health department to launch the polio vaccination campaign afresh, involving new strategies and ensuring the participation of union councillors, members of the provincial assembly and different political parties.

The chief minister issued the directives while presiding over a meeting of the Provincial Task Force for Polio Eradication at the CM House on Friday.

The chief minister said that the emergence of 14 polio cases in Sindh in 2019 has undone all of the government's previous efforts for polio eradication.

Five polio cases confirmed in K-P; year's count rises to 32

He said 30 polio cases were reported in Sindh in 2014, following which the provincial government had run an effective campaign to curb the spread of the disease. As a result, the number of cases decreased to 14 in 2015, further reduced to eight in 2016 and so much so that only two cases were reported in 2017 and one in 2018, the CM said. "But in 2019, the situation has worsened, similar to what we had in 2014 and 2015," he added.

The CM asked the members of the task force to take measures to administrate polio drops to every child at transit points including Jacobabad, Mochko and toll plazas in Karachi.

Aspiring to declare Sindh polio-free in 2020, he also delegated tasks to all relevant departments, as well as divisional, district and municipal administrations, for eradicating the crippling disease from the province in the coming year.

New polio cases

The chief minister was apprised during the meeting that of the 14 polio cases reported in Sindh, six are from Karachi and eight from the rest of the province.

Those who tested positive for polio in Karachi include Safia, a resident of Lyari who belongs to Quetta, Nisar, a resident of Gadap Town, Zakia and Manahil, both residents of Orangi Town, Ahmed, who resides in Jacob Lines and is from Hyderabad, Abdullah, a resident of Keamari, and a minor from Landhi, who hails from Balochistan.

Misinformation to blame for polio challenge in K-P

The chief minister commented that most minors who tested positive for the disease in Karachi hailed from Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. He also directed the local government minister, the mayor of Karachi and deputy commissioners to identify high-risk union councils in order to improve their water supply and sanitation.

The coverage of polio vaccinations in the province has been recorded at 96 percent, with the vaccine having been administered to over five million children in Sindh. However, 200,412 children were recorded as having missed the vaccination during the special campaign, the majority of whom were in Karachi. The reasons for the lack of vaccination in these cases include misconceptions about the vaccine, religious concerns, sickness and demands for incentives.

The next polio campaign will be carried out from December 16 to December 22 in all 29 districts of Sindh, aiming to vaccinate every child in the province. The chief minister said that he would hold a meeting on December 23 to review the campaign's progress, adding that he would personally monitor the campaign to make Sindh polio-free by the end of 2020.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 7^th, 2019.