Six-day polio vaccination drive begins in city today

A six-day anti-polio campaign aiming to vaccinate 2.2 million children is set to commence in the metropolis today. The Sindh Emergency Operation Centre for polio eradication and the city administration on Monday assured of having made all arrangements for the drive.

Scheduled to go on till May 28, more than 11,000 vaccinators were reported to be a part of the campaign. To cover a maximum number of children and achieve near to nil refusal cases, Commissioner Karachi Ejaz Ahmed Khan said the district administration will be playing an active role in developing close coordination with all the communities residing in the city.

"We will particularly focus on communities which have in the past owing to one reason or the other expressed reservations over getting their children repeatedly vaccinated," he said. Responding to a question, he said religious as well as community leaders are being taken on board to influence parents, they could also help the vaccinators in gaining easy access to kids aged under five.

The commissioner, however, stated that support would be needed at every level and expressed his gratitude to the provincial health department, WHO, Unicef, Rotary Club, Bill Gates and Melinda Foundation representatives for extending the required assistance.

"Attaining complete eradication of the polio virus is a collective goal," he said.  Earlier on February 13, the first phase of the injectable IPV (inactivated polio vaccine) campaign was carried out in selected districts of Sindh including 136 union councils of Karachi. The week-long drive ended on February 21.

In Karachi, the campaign aimed at administering vaccine to 357,629 children, aged between 23 months to four years; while 260,285 children were reportedly vaccinated in Thatta, Badin, Sajawal and Tando Mohammad Khan. 

In addition to the IPV, 465,801 children up to two years of age were also administered the oral polio vaccine in Karachi, and 320,581 children received it in the other identified districts.  Sindh’s first anti-polio campaign this year was held on January 16, wherein the health authorities had aimed at vaccinating 8.4 million children under five years of age in the entire province. Of them, 2.2 million children were vaccinated in 188 union councils of the city. A total of 20 cases were reported in Pakistan last year