Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation official visits Khairpur

SUKKUR: Programme officer of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Dr Erin Stuckey on Saturday visited district Khairpur and stressed stepping up polio eradication efforts.

She held a meeting with the DHO Khairpur officials, who briefed her that the recent torrential rains had left thousands of the families abandoned, while due to the accumulation of water in the flooded areas, waterborne diseases posed great challenges for the health department.

They told her that the survey of internally displaced persons (IDPs), hailing from other districts, was underway for the finalisation of polio vaccination drive, adding that some 150 cases of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) were reported, while no any positive case of wild polio virus (WPV) was reported in 2022.

Dr Erin Stuckey called upon the DHO officials to make operational the EPI centres and also kick-start oral polio vaccination drive, especially among the children of the IDPs.