After HIV epidemic, polio case also reported from Larkana

KARACHI: While Larkana is already reeling from HIV epidemic, a three-year old girl was tested positive for polio in Taluka Dokri of Larkana, health officials confirmed on Tuesday, adding the total polio case count in Sindh in 2019 is now two with one case from Karachi and another from Larkana. “It is highly unfortunate to announce that a polio case was reported from Larkana where a 38-month old girl, Fiza Nizamuddin has tested positive for polio”, said Umar Farooq Bullo, Coordinator for Emergency Operation Center (EOC) for Polio Eradication in Sindh. "The child was vaccinated but was low on immunity and malnourished, that make repeated vaccination of OPV mandatory. Further investigation into the case is underway" ECO Sindh Coordinator, Umar Farooq Bullo said. Larkana district of Sindh is already facing a health emergency as dozens of children have been tested positive for HIV during the last 12 days and the recent emergence of a polio case would further aggravate the situation. Sindh health department officials said following emergence of scores of HIV positive cases and recent polio case, they have decided to screen the entire population of all the infectious diseases including HIV, Hepatitis B and C, Tuberculosis, and several other infectious diseases. At the same time, an awareness campaign is also being launched to sensitize people about importance of vaccination, giving polio vaccine to children and adopting preventive measures to ward off the dangers of contracting lethal viral diseases.

"Parents must understand that with the polio virus present in the environment, they must vaccinate every child under 5 years of age during every campaign to protect them against polio", Farooq Bullo said and pledged to implement an aggressive case response in Northern Sindh to further build the immunity of children. Refusal by the parents to give oral polio vaccine drops to children is also on the rise in the province due to negative propaganda through social media, rumours, over-emphasis by the polio eradication initiative and other cultural and religious reasons. It is worth mentioning here that Sindh had 30 cases of polio in 2014, one in 2018 and now the figure is 2 in 2019.