10 November 2004	Wednesday	26 Ramazan 1425

ISLAMABAD, Nov 9: The ministry of health has sought the support of other government sectors to intensify efforts to attain the status of a polio-free country, an official told Dawn on Tuesday.

The education department and the ministry of interior are already on board in the campaign. Now the support of other sectors like transport, social welfare and women's affairs have been solicited, he said.

"Polio eradication is a national priority and not just the concern of one ministry," the official observed, adding that it was logistically impossible for the health ministry and its partners to support all aspects of the campaign.

The support of other ministries will greatly help in the eradication of this menace, he said, emphasising that polio eradication must remain a national priority both for the federal and the provincial governments.

He stressed the need for direct involvement and leadership of district and civil administration officials as the elected and administrative officials were a motivating force for lower level political officials, community and religious leaders.

However, he said, the government was facing difficulty in some districts due to lack of access to young children especially in socially conservative communities, security concerns, management- related problems and possibility of fatigue in campaign teams and the public.

Effectiveness of the campaigns, however, depended on the successful vaccination of all children under five years of age, he explained.

The quality of the campaigns has improved greatly over the last two to three years and this predicts the success of polio eradication in the country.

Last month, the governments of Japan and Pakistan signed an agreement for a $10.2 million grant to procure 93 million doses of oral polio vaccine for over 33 million children, he added.

Total Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) requirement for the year 2005 is estimated to be 160 million doses. Under the new agreement, the funds provided by Japan would be used for procuring approximately 93 million doses of OPV, which constitutes approximately 58 per cent of the total polio vaccine requirement for the year 2005.

In 2004, the number of campaigns had increased as compared to those in the previous years with six full national and one sub-national rounds, and another campaign planned to begin on November 30.