Year-end Anti-Polio drive begins in Karachi

KARACHI- Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) for Polio in Sindh has launched their last Polio campaign for the year 2018, in all districts of Sindh, including the city of Karachi, inaugurated by the Minister for Health Sindh, Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, at Hilal-e-Ahmer Hospital, Karachi.

A total target population for this campaign is approximately 8.9 million children under the age of 5, out of which approximately 2.3 million children reside in Karachi. The drive is said to continue till Dec, 16th in Karachi and Dec 13th in rest of Sindh.

More than 50,000 front line workers have participated in this highly important campaign. In Karachi alone, more than 9,000 Community Health Workers supported by 2,300 plus area in-charges have come forward to help in the completion of this campaign.

Around 5,000 law enforcement agency officials are deputed to ensure security for all the working teams.

It has been stated that, if figures remain the same, Sindh will report its lowest polio case count in history, as the province has only reported 1 case of Polio this year, from Gadap, Karachi.

This has been compared to the results of previous years, where 2 cases were reported in 2017, 8 in 2016, 12 in 2015 and 30 in 2014, respectively.

There has been a 99% reduction in polio cases across Pakistan since 2014; whereas the total case count for our country in 2018 is 8, in 2017 it was 8, in 2016 it was 20, in 2015 it was 54 and in 2014 it was 306.

Coordinator EOC Sindh, Umer Farooq Bullo mentioned that, all concerned officials and facilitators of this campaign are doing a fantastic job in curbing this disease. He encouraged everyone to work hard and focus on areas with a high susceptibility rate.

Moreover, he added that, a model EPI Center has been established to increase routine immunization, to further improve healthcare delivery across Sindh.

The Pakistan Pediatric Association and medical experts recommended that, every child must be given two drops of the vaccine every time it is offered.

Meanwhile, religious scholars too, have endorsed the polio program and has urged the masses to vaccinate their children, to protect them from lifelong disability.