Efforts urged to root out polio

PESHAWAR: Senior government officials here on Monday underscored the need for concerted efforts to eradicate polio.

They were speaking at a meeting of the Provincial Task Force for Polio Eradication at the Civil Secretariat, Peshawar, said an official handout.It said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Secretary Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry presided over the meeting.

Key officials, including the additional chief secretary Home, relevant administrative secretaries, senior law enforcement officers and representatives from international organizations such as UNICEF and the World Health Organization attended the meeting.

The officials from the National Emergency Operations Centre, Islamabad, divisional commissioners and deputy commissioners joined the meeting via video link.The special Secretary Health and the coordinator of the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre briefed the meeting on the current polio eradication efforts in the province.

It was noted that though no polio cases had been reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa so far this year, environmental samples from various districts had tested positive for the poliovirus.The chief secretary expressed satisfaction that the province remained polio-free this year but emphasized the importance of vigilance due to the positive environmental samples.

He called for the deployment of all available resources to analyze the causes of these positive samples and urged the authorities to present concrete recommendations to the government for further preventive measures.

The chief secretary stressed the need for a high-quality anti-polio campaign, noting that the control of the poliovirus depended on the effectiveness of the campaign. He directed the officials to pay attention to tourist areas, cities with high population mobility, particularly Peshawar, and districts with significant travel traffic.

The chief secretary instructed district administrations, police, and health officials to actively participate in anti-polio efforts and warned that strict action would be taken against any negligent officers.

The meeting reviewed preparations for the upcoming national anti-polio campaign slated for September 9. Special plans have been devised for certain districts in the province to ensure the success of the campaign. It is pertinent to mention that Afghanistan will be conducting its polio campaign on the same dates.