The centre was established to strengthen routine immunisation in newborn children and infants, which is vital for progress in the eradication of polio. The action plan of the committee is to provide support to the on-going polio eradication activities as stated in the National Emergency Action Plan, focusing on districts vulnerable to the virus.
The resource centre will consist of two full time doctors for general health care and six teams to activate neighbouring communities against refusals to polio vaccine and in areas where access is limited.
The committees aim of establishing a resource centre in SITE is because of the surrounding population, as it borders Gadap to the North, Liaquatabad and North Nazimabad to the East, Lyari and Saddar to the South, and Baldia and Orangi to the North West. These areas are considered ‘high risk polio’ areas and traces of the virus have been discovered in sewage samples.
The national chairperson of the committee, Aziz Memon, said that the overall immunity of children is lowered due to other health issues such as malnutrition, lack of breastfeeding and no space between births. “We can focus on polio - yes, but we also need to carry out general routine immunisations. The characteristic of the global health agenda is that polio can be eradicated and general health may also be improved at the same time. It is possible to do it all.”
Published in The Express Tribune, October 5th, 2012.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ