KARACHI - Elimination of polio virus from the province is top priority of the Sindh government, Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said here on Monday.

Reiterating his commitment to protection of children against the crippling disease on the day of launch of the first anti-polio campaign of 2017 in the province, Shah said that a strong monitoring mechanism had been developed for this campaign. He said it was a matter of serious concern that Sindh was among the provinces where polio cases were being reported. Though there is a decline in the number of cases, there is still a need to take every step to achieve zero polio prevalence this year, he said.

The chief minister, taking exception to refusals in certain localities of the metropolis, said it was the responsibility of the district administration to ensure 100 percent coverage of 2.2 million children in 188 union councils of the city. About 8.4 million children up to five years of age will be administered polio drops during the three-day campaign.

According to Sindh Emergency Operation Centre Coordinator Fayaz Jatoi, around 5,000 police personnel have been deployed to provide security cover to more than 12,000 polio vaccinators.

It may be pertinent to mention here that 19 polio cases were reported in the country last year – eight in Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa each, two in FATA and one in Balochistan.

ANTI-POLIO CAMPAIGN OPENS IN LARKANA

Larkana Deputy Commissioner Kahsif Ali Tipu on Monday inaugurated a four-day national polio campaign by administering oral police vaccine (OPV) to children up to five years of age at the EPI Centre, Old DHO Office, Larkana city.

The drive is being led by the Health Department and it would continue till January 19 throughout the district like other parts of the country.

Speaking on the occasion, the deputy commissioner said that eradication of polio was a challenge for the nation and everyone had to play his/her role to achieving this national goal. He expressed the hope that during the immunisation drive all children below five years of age would be administered anti-polio drops across the country. He said that officials of the health department were working with dedication, honesty and full devotion to rid the district of the crippling disease. He said that all stakeholders, including the health department, would have to work with a spirit of professionalism and devotion. He said the basic objective of the campaign was to ensure that polio is completely eradicated not just from the Larkana district but from the entire country.

The deputy commissioner accompanied by the additional deputy commissioner-II and the district health officer, paid a surprise visit to various villages of the Larkana Taluka to monitor the ongoing campaign. He was informed that officials of the health department had set up 758 vaccination teams with the help of WHO and UNICEF.