KARACHI - In view of concern shown by the international and national experts on polio eradication over failure of the efforts to inactivate polio virus in the vicinity of Gujrao union council, the Sindh government has formed a Gujro Union council Anti-polio Task force with the Commissioner Karachi as it chairman and the representatives of WHO, Unicef, Bill Gates & Millenda Foundation, Rotary, and officials of Health departments, the EPI, Water and Sewerage Board, Deputy commissioner East, Assistant Commissioner Guro as its members.
Additional Deputy Commissioner Malir Shujaat Hussain has been assigned to work as the Coordinator of the Gujro Task Force.
Karachi Commissioner Iftikhar Shallwani chairing its first meeting on Wednesday at its office has stressed the need to work with close coordination and take all out efforts on priority basis for the eradication of polio virus from the environment of the Gujro Union Council.
He said that polio eradication was a national cause and it would be the top priority of the government to carry out its efforts for the elimination of polio virus from the city.
The meeting was attended among others by the Provincial Coordinator for the Emergency Operation Centre sindh, Umar Farooq Bullo, Deputy Commissioner East Ali Ahmed Siddiqui, Coordinator Gujro Polio Task force Shujaat Hussain, Coordinator Commissioner Karachi Task force Dr Nusrat Ali, officials of Police, Pakistan Rangers, representatives of WHO, Unicef, Bill Gates Foundation and Rotary Commissioner Karachi said the chief Minister of Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah has directed the city administration to take special steps to make the efforts effective for the polio eradication in the Gujro union council so as to polio eradication efforts could be made effective and result oriented for the efforts to make the city polio free.
He said on the directives of the Chief Minister Government of Sindh, sindh government has set up Gujro Task Force headed by the Commissioner Karachi so as to special focus could be made for the polio eradication in the High risk union Commissioner Karachi said that the Task force has been set up on the recommendation of the Provincial Health Minster. He hoped that the members of the task force will play their due role to complete their responsibilities and would carry out extra efforts for the eradication of polio in high risk union councils on priority bases.
It was informed in the meeting that 66 polio cases have been found during the period from 2008 to 2018. 22 polio cases out of these were from the Gadap Town, while 12 cases found were from Union Council Gujar which is the highest in any union council in the city. Presently there is only one case of polio is in the city which belongs to this union council.