|
|
|
| August 04, 2007 | Saturday | Rajab 19, 1428 |
KARACHI: Awareness termed key to polio eradication
KARACHI, Aug 3: Sindh has a strong case for polio eradication by the end of this year if the officials concerned continued with the present pace of work. Also, there is a need for mass public education to remove the misconceptions and create a demand for polio vaccination.
The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Medical Officer, Polio Eradication Programme, Northern Sindh, Dr Yahya Mostafa, stated this in a seminar, ‘Role of Paediatricians in Polio Eradication,’ held at a local hotel here on Friday. The Sindh EPI (Extended Programme for Immunisation) had organised the event in collaboration with Unicef, Sindh. Dr Mostafa said that the chances of Sindh securing zero polio incidences were strong only if the officials continued to work with the same dedication and commitment, adding that Sindh could emulate the Punjab, where there was no polio case since last July, by ensuring the administration of seven-plus doses.
“In the Punjab, 85 per cent of the children received seven-plus doses in high-risk areas. That was the reason behind their success. Data shows that the situation in Sindh (two cases in Jacobabad, one in Khairpur and one in Karachi’s Baldia Town) has improved this year, with about 72pc children receiving seven-plus doses in the high-risk areas. The delivery system is good and with small modifications, Sindh can also stand alongside the Punjab,” he hoped.
The number of cases had dropped from 12 to four this year, he said. Of them two were from last year’s outbreak. He stressed upon public awareness and routine vaccination and said that people should know that there was no harm in having multiple doses of the polio vaccine.
In fact, rigorous campaigns were needed to remove misconceptions and spread the message that every child under five years, irrespective of immunisation status, must get a polio dose no matter what. “The awareness level should be so high that people themselves start asking for the vaccine and a public demand is created,” he said.
He regretted the fact that 90pc of the global burden of polio cases was borne by Muslims, whether in India (114, the total number of polio cases in 2007), Afghanistan (4), Nigeria (128) or Pakistan (11), the last four countries in the world where polio was still endemic. Taking a pledge from the paediatricians present that they would wage a jihad against polio, Dr Iqbal Memon, Chairman Expert Review Committee, Polio Eradication Programme, Sindh, said Pakistan should be the first among the last four countries in polio eradication.
Each case, he said, represented an outbreak because most of the time infections were asymptomatic.
The opportunity for polio eradication in Pakistan was strong, he said, adding that 60pc of the cases in 2006 were from only six districts: Bannu, Bajaur, Qilla Abdullah, Quetta, Jaffarabad and Karachi, while 85pc of the districts were polio free. Seventy-five per cent of the cases in Sindh last year were re-introductions from the Quetta area and southern Afghanistan.
The reasons for failure to control the disease, despite having 64 rounds of immunisation, he said, included inaccessibility to some areas, refusals by the community, misconceptions about vaccines, poor routine immunisation and lack of collaboration among government officials and doctors. He also underlined the need for AFP (acute flaccid paralysis) surveillance through efficient reporting.
Dr Altaf Bosan, Deputy-Director National Immunisation Programme, Islamabad, said the milestones set for endemic countries include 50pc reduction in the number of polio-infected districts relative to 2006 and increase in polio protection in infected districts by the end of this year.
He said the commonest cause of preventable paralysis was not polio but was unnecessary and unsafe use of injections. This needs to be recognised as a public health issue and warrants regulation, he observed. Unicef Sindh Programme Officer Dr Asif Aslam highlighted the role of civic society and said that the dream to eliminate polio couldn’t be materialised unless the educated segment of society cooperates.
“The refusal problem exists in Karachi, too, and can only be effectively resolved if doctors motivate people into action.”
Special Health Secretary Captain Abdul Majid, Project Director EPI Dr Salma Kousar, Dr Inkisar Ali of Civil Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan Medical Association General-Secretary Dr Qaiser Sajjad, Professor Dr D.S. Akram and Provincial Focal Person EPI-Unicef Dr Farhat Jafri also spoke.
|
|
|
|
