Polio vaccination drive kicks off

The national immunisation campaign against polio started across Sindh on Monday with the target to immunize all children of up to five years of age during the seven-day drive.

The District Health Officer Dr Lala Jaffar started the campaign by giving drops to children at Government Bhitai Taluka Hospital in Latifabad.

The polio virus was found last month in the environmental sample taken from a sewerage pumping station of Water and Sanitation Agency in Latifabad area of Hyderabad. According to the DHO, they have set a target of 401,000 children who will be covered during the seven days.

Meanwhile in Sukkur district, the authorities have planned to inoculate over 348,000 children. The DHO Dr Jameel Ahmed Mahar informed that around 1,465 polio teams are visiting door to door besides 121 fixed centers have also been established.

Read: Scope of anti-polio campaign expanded

Deputy Commissioner Fayyaz Hussain Mahesar has directed the concerned officers to show zero-tolerance to the teams failing to perform their duty.

Some 348,465 children in Mirpurkhas will be given the polio drops. According to Deputy Commissioner Dr Rasheed Masood Khan, 1097 mobile teams, 97 fixed teams and 53 transit teams have been given the task in this regard.

Likewise, the DHO Nawabshah said they have planned to administer the polio drops to 420,756 children. He added that 1,192 mobile teams, 53 transit and 54 fixed teams are undertaking the task. Separately, in the five districts of Larkana division, the authorities have set a target of covering 1.179 million children.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 27^th, 2024.