Injectable polio vaccine drive meets 95% target: officials

In the first phase of ongoing polio campaign in Karachi, more than 95 per cent of children in 40 high-risk Union Councils (UCs) have been vaccinated with injectable fractional inactivated polio vaccine.

Officials associated with the polio programme said on Tuesday that their teams had vaccinated more than 95 percent of children in 40 union councils in the first phase.

They said that the campaign started on August 15, 2024. In the second phase, vaccination of half a million children in another 45 union councils will begin tomorrow (Wednesday).

According to data from the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Sindh, by the end of the fifth day of the campaign, 509,869 children out of 537,638 eligible children were given fractional doses of polio vaccine through jet injectors, a target of 95%. A further 540,093 of 569,835 children were given oral polio vaccine (OPV) drops.

"The highest uptake of fIPV was seen in union councils in Orangi Town, where 105 per cent of the target was achieved with jet injectors, and 100 per cent of children were given OPV drops. In Karachi West, 100 per cent of eligible children were given fIPV, while 90 per cent of children were given OPV drops," said Irshad Sudhar, provincial coordinator of the Emergency Operations Center.

Despite initial resistance to fIPV on the first day of the campaign, steady improvement was seen throughout the campaign. Dedicated team leaders and volunteers worked hard to ensure that every child was vaccinated. Sudhar said that the progress of the campaign was closely monitored by Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, Chief Secretary Asif Haider Shah, Health Minister Dr Azra Pechuho and other officials.