Anti-polio campaign across Sindh to start from October 24
Pakistan
At least 6.5 million children would be administered polio vaccination across Sindh.
KARACHI (Dunya News) - Anti-polio campaign across Sindh with a special focus on flood-affected areas will be carried out from October 24 to 30 in which 6.5 million children would be administered polio vaccination.
It was decided in a meeting jointly chaired by provincial health minister Dr Ezra Pechuho and Chief Secretary Sindh Muhammad Sohail Rajput in Karachi on Friday.
The health minister, terming polio immunization in flood affected areas as the biggest challenge, directed to revise the micro plan for such areas.
She said that boats should be arranged to ensure 100 percent vaccination in the areas still under flood water, while a separate micro-plan should also be framed for flood relief camps to ensure that no child in camps was left unvaccinated.
The Chief Secretary Sindh stressed that all children entering the province should be vaccinated against polio at the entry points as with the advent of winter a large number of people come to Karachi from the northern regions of the country.
He said that no case of polio virus had been reported in Sindh for 2 years so special measures should be taken to persuade parents who earlier refused vaccination of their children.
The health minister further directed that various activities should be organised on "Word Polio Day" that falls on October 24 to create awareness and to educate masses about the importance of polio prevention.
The meeting was informed that an environmental sample of polio was found positive in August in Malir district of Karachi but due to timely measures result of the environmental sample has become negative in September.
Commissioners of Karachi and Larkana divisions, Coordinator EOC, representatives of UNICEF and WHO attended the meeting while commissioners of Shaheed Benazirabad and Sukkur and deputy commissioners of all districts participated through video link.
