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Thursday March 28, 2024

WHO wants constant watch in Sindh to end polio

Karachi World Health Organisation (WHO) Representative in Pakistan Dr Michel Thieren on Friday praised all stakeholders participating in polio eradication efforts in Sindh, but also warned that the polio virus still existed in the environment and continued monitoring and effective measures were needed to eradicate it completely. He was speaking

By our correspondents
October 04, 2015
Karachi
World Health Organisation (WHO) Representative in Pakistan Dr Michel Thieren on Friday praised all stakeholders participating in polio eradication efforts in Sindh, but also warned that the polio virus still existed in the environment and continued monitoring and effective measures were needed to eradicate it completely.
He was speaking at a meeting with members of the Provincial Task on Polio at the Sindh Secretariat. The meeting was chaired by Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah and attended by senior officials.
Thieren said statistics regarding vaccination against polio were better than before and the overall mechanisms had improved.
“However we need to be very cautious as the virus is still circulating,” he added.
The chief minister said: “Compared to the last year, the result is promising this time. No polio case has been reported in Karachi since October 2014.”
Chief Secretary Muhammad Siddique Memon informed the meeting that the main focus was on locating missing children and improving security coordination.
Azra Fazal Pechuho, the chairperson of the provincial oversight and coordination cell, said no polio case had been reported in Karachi since October 2014 and the last case reported in Sindh was in February 2015.
Coordinator EOC Sindh Dr Muhammad Usman Chachar told the meeting that in 1988, the world health assembly met to eradicate polio from the world and there were more than 350,000 cases at that time.
He said only Pakistan and Afghanistan had remained where polio cases were still springing up.
“There are over all 44 registered cases; 35 from Pakistan and nine from Afghanistan.”
Dr Chachar further said 30 cases had been reported in Sindh last year, and 23 of them were from Karachi.
He said only four cases had been reported this year in the province as compared to 21 last year.
He said a campaign would be conducted in the 80 union councils of Karachi from October 7 to October 10 and the 14 districts of the province would be covered from October 12 to October 15.
He requested the chief minister to inaugurate the campaigns and encourage the MPAs to actively engage in those activities. He also emphasised the need for an adequate security cover.