KARACHI: Dr Azra Pechuho, Minister for Health and Population Welfare, Sindh, chaired a Provincial Steering Committee meeting to eradicate Measles and Rubella.
Kazim Jatoi, Secretary of Health, Sindh, representatives from the Sindh Education and Literacy Department (SELD) and the World Health Organization (WHO) were also in attendance.
The Health Minister advised that the vaccination teams for Measles should coordinate with the Education Department, who can provide a list of schools, the focal persons at said schools, the number of children and the locations of both public and private institutions.
Dr Azra urged the steering committee to work towards social mobilisation and provide a clear timeline through which the progress towards the campaign is laid out. It was decided that the Information, Education and Communication (IEC) material for orienting the teachers, parents, and community will be ready by the 15th of October.
She also clarified that law enforcement would be present at the measles vaccination campsites and accompany the teams that will be vaccinated to ensure the safety of all those involved in the process.
Parents of all school-going children will be notified via letter and, should they not consent to the vaccination, they will have to write to the school admins specifying so.
“A micro plan must be drafted, and this will include all manner of logistics with a special focus on cold storage, transport and vaccine distribution,” she added.
The Health Minister also stressed the importance of utilising social media to raise awareness regarding the campaign until the IEC material is not disseminated. Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) will be asked to support the vaccination of out-of-school children and street children.
“Field validation is the most important thing to be reviewed to gauge the situation. Monitoring checklists will include how the vaccine is being handled, how many people are vaccinated under which team, how the vaccine is being administered, the storage, the delivery, and whether there are any side effects”, the Minister concluded.