Seven-day anti-polio drive to begin Dec 16

Pechuho calls meeting to review arrangements for the campaign to be conducted across Sindh

KARACHI: Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho called a meeting on Thursday to review arrangements for the seven-day anti-polio campaign set to be launched on December 16. The campaign aims to vaccinate nine million children across Sindh against the crippling disease.

Addressing the meeting, Dr Pechuho said the eradication of polio from the environment necessitated running an effective campaign. She said that deputy commissioners (DCs) can play a key role in achieving the targets of the campaign and directed that they make all-out efforts to run it successfully across the province.

"[Relevant] officials need to ensure 100 percent coverage of the campaign and DCs should be holding daily meetings to review its progress and take measures for overcoming any challenges posed in the way of running the campaign," said Dr Pechuho.

The health minister said the campaign would last from December 16 to December 22, during which nine million children under the age of five years would be administered the polio vaccine in Sindh. Of these, 2.3 million children would be vaccinated in Karachi, she added.

Four more polio cases detected in K-P, year’s tally reaches 98

She informed the participants of the meeting that 14 polio cases have been reported in the province thus far during the current year, of which six were from Karachi.

Dr Pechuho stressed the need for parents to ensure that their children are vaccinated against the crippling disease, reflecting that it was the only way to end polio.

"It [polio virus] is prevalent in the environment and it is distressing to see children falling victim to it and suffering from paralysis just because their parents refused to get them vaccinated," she said.

The campaign has been initiated as part of the Expanded Immunisation Programme (EPI).

The meeting was attended by district health officers, DCs, member of National Strategic Advisory for EPI Shahnaz Wazir Ali, Sindh Emergency Operating Centre (EOC) coordinator Rehan Baloch, Sindh EOC technical focal person Dr Ahmed Ali Shaikh, representatives of the World Health Organisation and United Nations Children's Fund and members of vaccination teams. 

Published in The Express Tribune, December 13^th, 2019.