LAHORE: Chief Secretary Naveed Akram Cheema on Saturday directed all district coordination officers (DCOs) to work hard for complete eradication of polio, and making the anti-polio campaign a success during the low transmission season from November to April.

The system of monitoring the campaign and efforts for elimination of the disease should further be improved, he said while presiding over a DCOs conference here at the Civil Secretariat.

The Prime Minister’s Focal Person on Polio MNA Ayesha Farooq, senior government officials, representatives of the World Health Organisation, UNICEF and Bill and Malinda Gates Foundation also attended the meeting.

The health secretary gave details of the current situation of polio and dengue in the province and the plan to fight them. He said out of the total 220 polio cases in the country only three had been reported from Punjab. He also said a special anti-polio campaign would be launched in vulnerable union councils of sensitive districts from Oct 28 to April.

The chief secretary directed all DCOs to pay special attention to the elimination of polio so the disease could be eradicated. Special vaccination teams should be deputed at entry and exit points of the province. Functioning of vaccination teams should be strictly monitored and steps taken according to the micro planning. The DCOs should preside over meetings on polio.

He expressed satisfaction over the anti-dengue steps in Lahore and Sheikhupura, directing the Rawalpindi DCO to follow suit and take proper care of dengue patients in hospitals.

The health secretary also briefed the conference on the steps taken for controlling Ebola virus and the related centre-province coordination.

Ayesha Farooq said the prime minister while taking notice of polio in the country had convened an emergency meeting and also constituted a cabinet committee to monitor the polio situation in the country. A task force had also been set up for eradication of the disease.

She said complete security was being provided to polio vaccinators in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and other sensitive areas, and help of the army was also being sought. She added that steps to eliminate polio during the next low transmission season were important and if not taken elimination of the virus would be difficult.

Adviser on Health Khawaja Salman Rafique said the government had worked hard with the cooperation of international partners for elimination of polio from Punjab and that was why only three polio cases had been reported from the province so far.

Board of Revenue senior member, the planning and development chairman and provincial disaster management authority director general also briefed the meeting participants about the progress of rehabilitation of flood affectees, payment of financial assistance to them and the land computerisation project.

The chief secretary said second phase of distribution of financial assistance to the flood affectees would start after Muharram. The home secretary talked about plans to maintain law and order, protect processions and gatherings and the overall security plan during Muharram. The chief secretary directed all DCOs to remain on high alert for maintaining peace in their districts.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2014