Weekly Anti-Polio campaigns to be organized: Provincial Health Minister

Karachi: Provincial Minister for Health Jam Mehtab Hussain Dahar said that Sindh Polio Emergency Operational Cell has highlighted eleven Union Councils of Karachi where 23 polio cases have been reported in 2014 so far. To address this issue, three-day anti-polio campaigns would be carried in these UCs on weekly basis.

In his statement, Jam Mehtab said that Polio is not only a Sindh issue but a national issue, and it is responsibility of people from top level to bottom level to play their role in the eradication of the disease. He said that the provincial government is committed to making Sindh province Polio-free in collaboration of all stakeholders including local administration, population welfare, education departments, WHO, UNICIEF, Rotary and BGMF.

He further claimed that there is 95 percent polio coverage in Sindh but also admitted that Polio teams were facing resistance in certain areas of Karachi.

Meanwhile, Director Health Karachi, Dr Zafar Ejaz stated that anti-Polio drive has been initiated in 11 high-risk Union Councils of Karachi on Saturday, and over 243,000 children would be administrated polio immunization during campaign.

He said that the teams had successfully administrated Polio drops to children in high-risk UCs of city on first day of the drive. He added that law enforcement agencies had provided adequate security to Polio teams during the campaign.