Anti-polio drive in 51 union councils to start tomorrow

Community-based vaccinators to be used in campaign; drive to be conducted

in 12 other districts of the province too

Karachi

A supplementary polio immunisation drive will be conducted in 51 “problematic” union councils of Karachi by community-based vaccinators and 12 other districts of the province from July 25 to 30 wherein 3.363 million children would be vaccinated.

The 51 union councils of the city have their own community-based vaccinators, who maintain records of children under the age of five in their areas.

No mobile teams of vaccinators will be used in these 51 union councils. However, police and other security agencies have made strict security arrangements for the protection of community-based vaccinators.

The vaccination drive will also be carried in 12 other districts of Sindh (eight complete and four partial).

 “Although there was no vaccination drive planned in July this year, the authorities decided to conduct a special campaign in the problematic union councils of Karachi and other high risk areas in Sindh from July 25 to 30,” a spokesperson for the Emergency Operations Centre Sindh told The News on Saturday.

He added that the special supplementary drive was being launched at a time when environmental samples in the province tested “negative” for the last three months, showing that the virus was not circulating in the environment of the province.

In the supplementary drive, 504,737 children in seven union councils of Baldia Town, four union councils of Orangi Town, four union councils of SITE, one union council each of Liaquatabad and Gulberg, two union councils of North Nazimabad, four union councils of North Karachi, one union council of Saddar, three union councils of Keamari, three union councils of Bin Qasim, four union councils of Landhi and three union councils of Korangi would be vaccinated.

Around 359,981 children would be vaccinated in Muzaffarabad and Muslimabad union councils of Landhi, five union councils of Gadap, one union council each of Baldia, SITE and Orangi and
four union councils of Gulshan-e-Iqbal.

The 12 other districts where the drive will be conducted include Sukkur, Ghotki, Khairpur, Larkana, Shikarpur, Jacobabad, Kashmore, Kamber, Dadu, Nawabshah, Sanghar and Naushero Feroze. A total of 2.498 million children will be vaccinated in these districts.

The spokesperson maintained that educated and trained community-based vaccinators were being used for the drive in the selected union councils of Karachi.

“These vaccinators have all the data of the children who have to be given oral polio vaccine and they have also worked with community elders for their cooperation in the drive,” he added.

He said hundreds of police personnel as well as paramilitary soldiers would be deployed to ensure the protection of the vaccinators.

IGP orders security

IGP AD Khowaja, keeping in view the violence that occurred during an anti-polio drive in Karachi on July 25, has ordered extra security measures for the supplementary campaign.

A police spokesperson said the IGP had directed his subordinates to divide the areas into union council categories for effective security.

He ordered the deployment of commandos for the vaccinators.

The provincial police chief also directed the Karachi Range DIGs to increase police patrolling and snap checking and strengthen the intelligence collection system for the drive.