KARACHI, July 10: Polio has afflicted 22 children the against nine reported till April this year from across Sindh.

WHO coordinator for the Polio Eradication Programme, Dr Aziza, in a meeting with the local government authorities of Gulshan-i-Iqbal Town here on Thursday, said two of the cases recently detected were from Karachi, one pertaining to in Gulshan-i- Iqbal Town.

The meeting was an initiative on the part of WHO and he government departments concerned to strengthen local government involvement in the ongoing campaign to help Pakistan attain a zero-level prevalence of polio in the minimum possible time, and to maintain the same for three consecutive years.

Nazim of Gulshan-i- Iqbal Town, Abdul Wahab, who chaired the meeting, was informed that the surge reflected non-cooperation on the part of people to see that their kids were immunized against polio.

Dr Aziza appealed to the participants to exercise their influence on the masses, besides involving all those in a position to make people realise the importance of routine vaccination, national immunization days and sub-national immunization days.

Nazim Abdul Wahab was requested to release letters on urgent basis to the Imams of the mosques across the town and convince them to include the issue of compulsory and routine vaccination against polio in their Friday congregations. — APP