Karachi Despite 500 fewer than the expected 3,200 policemen on duty for security of polio workers, a polio vaccination campaign kicked off in three districts of Karachi on Monday. The much-awaited National Immunization Days (NIDs) drive was delayed twice due to the unavailability of security personnel for the vaccination teams.
By our correspondents
November 10, 2015
Karachi Despite 500 fewer than the expected 3,200 policemen on duty for security of polio workers, a polio vaccination campaign kicked off in three districts of Karachi on Monday. The much-awaited National Immunization Days (NIDs) drive was delayed twice due to the unavailability of security personnel for the vaccination teams. However, after the intervention of the chief minister and a pledge by the Sindh Police to provide 3,200 policemen for the security of health workers, polio-eradication officials decided to launch the campaign in two phases from Monday. The officials of Emergency Response Centre for Polio in Sindh said as many as 1,025,343 children in districts West, Central and parts of Sindh will be administered the Oral Polio Vaccine between November 9 and November 12. The target for district West is 516,680 children with 1,518 teams of vaccinators, 345,778 children in district Central with 1,236 teams of vaccinators and 162,885 children in parts of district East with 541 teams of vaccinators. The official said only 2,700 police personnel of the 3,200 committed by the Sindh police chief reported for duty on Monday, and they too were late, causing the campaign to begin after a delay of two hours. In the second phase of the polio campaign, a total of 953,311 children in three remaining districts of Karachi will be vaccinated. Around 386,540 children were expected to immunised in district Korangi, 282,744 in district South and 225,517 in district Malir between November 13 and November 16.
