For a healthy tomorrow: ‘No polio drives in high-risk areas till workers have proper security’

Sindh health minister says they plan to vaccinate 120,000 children after Eidul Azha

KARACHI:

Polio workers will not carry out any vaccination drives in high-risk areas unless they are provided with adequate security, said the provincial health department.

While addressing a press conference on Friday, Sindh Health Minister Dr Sagheer Ahmed claimed that Sindh was burdened with polio cases from other provinces.

He said that the total target of the polio campaign was to vaccinate eight million children, including 2.1 million children in Karachi. The health minister added that due to security reasons, polio teams could not reach more than 100,000 children.



"The health department plans to use the Inactivated Polio Vaccine, an injection, instead of the oral vaccine in 10 union councils of Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gadap Town and Baldia Town," he said. "The campaign is expected to be launched in the last week of October or early November. A total of 120,000 children will be vaccinated."

New plans

"A summary has been moved to the Sindh chief minister for an increase in the polio workers' wages," informed the minister, adding that daily wages will be increased from Rs250 to Rs500. The provincial health department plans to start a routine immunisation drive in Hyderabad and Jacobabad after Eidul Azha.

The minister informed the media that 83 permanent check posts would be set up across the province where families coming into Sindh from other provinces will be administrated polio drops.

According to minister, assistant commissioners across Sindh have been nominated as the polio focal persons who will report to the provincial control polio group. He appealed to political and religious parties to cooperate with the health department and polio workers.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 4^th, 2014.