The emergence of wild polio virus traces in the environmental samples has sent alarm bells ringing in the Rawalpindi district administration, which has planned an inoculation drive from November 30.
The Rawalpindi administration will run anti-polio drives more frequently after detection of the virus in environmental samples, it was decided in a meeting .chaired by Rawalpindi Commissioner Muhammad Mehmood.
The garrison city has maintained a polio-free status for the past 10-years, however, during the past 15 months, the virus has been detected in multiple samples of sewerage water collected randomly from different areas of Rawalpindi.
Commission Mehmood chaired a high-level meeting in which the participants expressed concerns on detection of poliovirus repeatedly.
Health officials revealed that the virus detection cases have increased in Rawalpindi district as compared to 2009 and 2020. They termed long breaks in immunisation drives responsible for it.
Therefore, the Rawalpindi administration has decided to run anti-polio campaigns frequently and with minimal gaps.
It was also emphasised to ensure 100 per cent results in the campaigns.
Meanwhile, the Punjab health ministry has prepared a plan to make the province polio-free by December 31, 2021.
Subsequently, the district administration has decided to launch a polio vaccination drive after recovery of wild poliovirus traces in environmental samples of Rawalpindi.
Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner (DC) Anwarul Haq chaired a meeting to review the arrangements for anti-polio drive.
He directed to make the training of polio workers more effective for the five-day polio campaign to be kicked-off in Rawalpindi district from November 30. All Assistant Commissioners (ACs) were issued directions to monitor the training sessions.
DC said that the environmental sample of poliovirus in September has come positive. Therefore, he stressed that the polio workers should ensure that no child aged below five years was left from the administration of polio drops.
He warned that there would strict action against workers found in dereliction of duty as those showing negligence in the administration of drops were more dangerous than those who refuse it.
Haq said that the polio vaccine was completely safe and effective and had been endorsed by international organisations.
Further, the participants were informed that as many 8.75 million children aged below five years would be immunised against the virus.
Further, Cantt Assistant Commissioner (AC) Nausheen Israr said that no child aged up to five years old in Rawalpindi should be neglected during the anti-polio campaign.
She was addressing a training session of officials at the Rawalpindi Arts Council on Sunday to oversee the polio vaccination campaign starting in Rawalpindi district from November 30.
While addressing the participants, AC Israr instructed the officials to analyse the mistakes in the previous drives and formulate a plan to overcome them.
The session discussed human resource management and mobilisation of vaccination teams, provision of security to vaccinators and convincing the refusal cases. AC Israr also elaborated he third party verification system introduced for inoculation drives.
AC Israr told the in-charges and union council medical officers to share the message of the training session with the workers at the lower level to achieve 100 per cent results.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 23rd, 2020.
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