Karachi is presently the only mega-city in the world where polio cases persist despite availability of proper infrastructure and facilities.
The issue was extensively discussed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) representatives Dr Naveed Sadozai and Dr Yahya Ghaffar in a meeting with Sindh Health Minister, Dr Saghir Ahmed here on Monday.
Pakistan itself as well as other polio endemic countries as India, Nigeria and Afghanistan was noticed to be reporting cases from their remote and less developed areas. WHO officials acknowledged that vulnerability of Karachi that reported five confirmed polio cases last year (2009) and one in 2010 is due to massive influx of population to the metropolis.
Sindh health minister urged the WHO officials to support efforts being made by Pakistan and Sindh Governments respectively to contain spread of virus. He said that no single body could take the responsibility and all concerned stake holders had to develop a foolproof mechanism to eradicate the virus that crippled children.
He said that the international bodies working in remote and disturbed parts of the country must undertake the responsibility, in close coordination with the local administration and communities, to necessarily vaccinate all children, upto the age of five years, against polio.
The Sindh government, the minister said was also attempting to engage all stake holders including professional bodies of doctors, nurses etc as well as media and artistes, along with those having any influence on the communities to educate the masses and also to motivate them about relevance of oral anti-polio vaccines (OPV).
Meanwhile, a delegation of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) also called upon the Sindh health minister and discussed the possibility of strengthening private-public sector cooperation in the field of health-care.