Authority declares 7 Pindi UCs polio sensitive

After the confirmation of poliovirus in children in different parts of the country, the Rawalpindi District Health Authority has declared seven union councils (UCs) adjacent to the boundary of Islamabad as a red zone for polio.

The move follows the confirmation of poliovirus in environmental samples taken from 10 places in Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Special teams have been constituted for door-to-door verifications that no child has missed the polio vaccination drops. Those, who have yet to receive polio drops, will be administered the polio vaccine immediately.

Sources in the DHA said that seven UCs, which are connected to the entry points of Rawalpindi, have been declared a red zone regarding polio. The dispensaries established under the UNICEF and the Bill Gates Foundation have also been included in the process of verifying the administration of polio drops to children during door-to-door visits in the red zone. Open drainage has also been found in these seven UCs.

DHA Chief Executive Dr Ijaz Ahmed says that during the polio eradication campaign, every effort is made to ensure that no child misses the polio vaccination drops. Despite this, a recheck has been initiated in seven UCs and polio drops are being administered.

He said that the results of three environmental samples sent by the DHA in February this year were declared negative, while the results of three other samples sent in March have not yet been received.

However, as a precautionary measure, the UCs have been declared the red zone because of the presence of open drainage and frequent visitors from K-P and Balochistan, Dr Ijaz added.