KARACHI, Sept 9: Sindh must not only step up it efforts against polio in high-risk areas but also ensure a high quality in its overall polio drive.
This was stated by the senior adviser to Unicef on global polio eradication initiatives, Dr Rafah S. Aziz, during her recent visit to Karachi. Talking to Dawn Dr Aziz expressed her satisfaction over the ongoing anti-polio drive in the province under the expanded programme on immunization and Unicef in partnership with the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The adviser recently visited the city to discuss the monitoring, supervision, micro-planning and communication strategy prepared by the Expanded Programme on Immunisation, Sindh, for a complete eradication of polio from the province.
Unicef procures the vaccines and also works on community mobilisation towards the success of campaigns against polio virus which still exists in India, Nigeria, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
She said that Sindh should ensure the access of vaccinators and surveillance staff to children under five in the areas of refusals and vaccinate children who had missed the polio drops.
“I have been told that reaching nomadic population on time had been a challenge for the vaccinators, but health officials and other partners in the immunisation campaigns should not sit disheartened and must try to overcome the issue with the support of the local leaders and media”, she added.
Dr Aziz said that cross border movements between Sindh and other provinces had been cited as the main reason behind the spread of the polio virus in other provinces and cities like Karachi. Based on the information provided by the EPI, Sindh, I could say that the lacunae had been identified and now there was a need to devise an effective mechanism against it, added Dr Aziz.
She pointed out that at a time when the children on the move between Sindh and other provinces it would be viable that the EPI should go for rapid mopping up vaccination campaigns in selected areas, in addition to national immunisation days.
Dr Aziz advised the parents of children under five as well not to sit contented and relaxed after the administration of vaccines to their wards against preventable diseases under the routine immunisation programme, but also give due importance to the national and provincial polio immunisation campaigns as even if one case of polio prevailed in the country or their province their children would be at a risk.
Against a 40 confirmed cases of polio in Pakistan in 2006, this year so far 12 cases had been confirmed, out of which five had been reported from Sindh.
Replying to a question, the visiting Unicef adviser, who was accompanied by a WHO technical officer from Geneva, Lilianae Boualam, said that none of the partners intended to stop funding the anti-polio drive in Sindh at the moment.
All the partners considered that even if Sindh and other provinces became polio-free by the end of 2007, as being pledged or expected by quarters concerned, polio vaccination campaigns should be continued for some time, otherwise the whole exercise undertaken during the last many years through 70 or so rounds of oral polio vaccination across the country could go in vain, she noted.
