Virus alert: Polio found in sewage samples, emergency declared in Multan

The Health Dept has been told to cancel all holidays for staff.

MULTAN:

An emergency 10-day polio vaccination campaign began on Saturday after polio virus was found in the sewerage samples from Suraj Miani Colony.

The district Health Department has also been directed to cancel holidays for staff.

The samples collected in Suraj Miani Colony were sent to the National Institute of Health on December 9, 2013 for a routine check.

The report received on January 10, 2014, confirmed the presence of polio virus in the samples.

The government has declared a state of emergency in the area. District Coordination Officer Zahid Saleem Gondal was directed to initiate and supervise an anti-polio campaign in the city. This is the third such case in the district in two months. The virus was previously found in the sewerage samples collected from Kotla Abul Fateh Colony and Ali Town.



The district government and the Health Department have now started a 10-day anti-polio campaign in Suraj Miani Colony and adjoining 10 colonies including 12 rural areas. The routine campaign was supposed to begin on January 20.

District Health Officer Shahid Bukhari told The Express Tribune that they had also ordered investigations into the negligence of Health workers and anti-polio campaign teams. The department will submit a report to the district government after the campaign.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 14^th, 2014.