KARACHI, April 15: The three-day national immunization campaign against polio commenced in the city on Tuesday with teams of vaccinators visiting pre-primary schools and houses.

The Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI- Sindh) is being supported by Rotary International, WHO and UNICEF.

Sindh Health Secretary, Ashiq Hussein Memon, inaugurating the campaign, called for involvement and commitment on the part of all the segments of society.

He said that since presence of a single case of the polio virus was a threat, efforts were made to ensure 100 per cent immunization of all under-five children and maintain it for three consecutive years.

“Concerted efforts have to be made and have been made as nothing can be attained in isolation,” he observed.

He also asked the teams concerned to set their priorities right and come forward with clear goals and a plausible strategy.

Dr Shamsunisa Ansari, Director EPI Sindh, giving details of the three-day campaign, said that frequent episodes of diarrhoea among children also increased the need for repeated dosage, besides a strong routine immunization program.

Thanking WHO, UNICEF and Rotary International for their support, she sought maximum involvement of all town councillors and community workers to create awareness in parents to ensure their kids were administered against the polio virus.

Local parents were passionately appealed to ensure across-the-board administration of the anti-polio drops to their children.

The effort is aimed at vaccinating 18.4 million children. These children will also be administered vitamin-A drops during the three-day exercise.

Some 18000 mobiles teams have been constituted and 2000 centres have been set up for the purpose. Street-children and child-beggars are being particularly covered this time. City and town councillors are also being involved to help convince area notables to see that the high-risk group (all under-five children) is not left out.—APP