Clerics engaged in advocacy for polio vaccination
A health worker administers oral polio vaccine to a child at a slum in Karachi during the week-long inoculation drive which kicked off on Monday. PHOTO: APP
Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in collaboration with United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) Wednesday conducted orientation sessions for religious scholars and pediatricians to equip them with programmatic knowledge and communication skills for shaping public opinion around essential immunization including polio vaccine.
Speaking on the occasion, Additional Deputy Commissioner Abbottabad Shahab Muhammad said that polio eradication is a declared national health emergency in the country since 2011 and being a biggest challenge in public health sector needs support of cross segments of society to eradicate the crippling disease.
Area Coordinator Abbottabad WHO, Dr Tayaba shared global, national and regional polio updates, key challenges in polio eradication initiative with focus on central and southern K-P and what support is required from the partners and stakeholders. She spoke about history of the disease, types of polio vaccines and the need for repeated doses for eradication of the disease from the region.
Security Advisor (Access) UNICEF Qazi Saifullah informed participants about the types and numbers of security incidents during anti-polio campaigns.
The security challenges faced by program and workers engaged in campaigns. Media Officer UNICEF Shadab Younas presented facts and figures regarding media’s role and discussed the need for countering propaganda against polio to convince parents to get their children vaccinated. Later, Additional Deputy Commissioner Abbottabad, Shahab Muhammad Khan distributed certificates among the participants with a vote of thanks.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 9th, 2021.