Combating Polio Spread

0
Pakistan is clearly on the right trajectory, even though it takes three consecutive years of zero cases for a country to be declared polio-free.
However, the national anti-polio campaign must remain proactive against a virus constantly knocking on our doors.
In an effort to combat the spread of polio, a special vaccination campaign kicks off in the country. The targeted districts in Punjab include Lahore, Rawalpindi, Sheikhupura, and Rajan Pur. The anti-polio drive will span a week in Lahore and Rawalpindi, while a five-day campaign is scheduled for Rajan Pur and Sheikhupura. A dedicated team of 32,000 polio workers will actively participate in this drive, with 14,000 workers assigned to Lahore, 7,000 to Rawalpindi, 7,000 to Sheikhupura, and 4,000 to Rajan Pur. The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to conduct a special five-day anti-polio vaccination drive in three districts of the province.
All the preparations in this connection have been completed and the drive is scheduled to be carried out in Peshawar, Khyber and Hangu from Oct 30.A total of more than 1,243,000 children are scheduled to be vaccinated during the campaign, an official of the Emergency Operations Centre told The Express Tribune.During the five-day campaign, 900,000 children will be vaccinated in Peshawar district.With a special focus on Karachi, which has a large population of unvaccinated children and several ‘super high-risk’ union committees (UCs), health authorities launched a major polio immunisation campaign across the province, targeting 10.3 million children in 30 districts.The campaign, part of the National Immunization Days, will run for a week in Karachi and five days in the rest of the province.
The officials representing the Emergency Operation Centre for polio in Sindh are attaching a lot of significance to the immunisation campaign launched in Karachi that has reported five environmental samples positive for polio last month. the city has several ‘super high risk’ and ‘high risk’, with some 89,000 unvaccinated children constantly being marked as “refused” or “unavailable” during polio immunisation campaigns. Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar last week vowed to resist the individuals propagating against the polio vaccination, resolving to achieve the dream of a polio-free Pakistan by carrying forward the journey with unshakeable commitment.
The legitimate grievances of Lady Health Workers, a vital aspect of polio vaccination campaigns, must also be addressed on a priority basis so that every eligible child is a timely recipient of the precious drops.
Leave A Reply

Your email address will not be published.