RAWALPINDI: Punjab government has decided to administer inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) through injections in addition to oral polio vaccine (OPV) to children especially in high risk union councils across the province from first week of June.

In Rawalpindi, the injectable vaccine will be administered to children in 28 high risk Union Councils from June 8.

These areas include Pirwadhai, Dhoke Hassu, Dhoke Mangtal, Khayaban-i-Sir Syed, Dhoke Dalal, Fauji Colony, Chak Jalaldin, Bagha Sheikhan, Dhaman Syedan, Dhoke Ratta, Ratta Amral, Dhoke Kashmirian, along with three wards of the cantonment and two union councils in Taxila.

District Coordination Officer (DCO) Sajid Zafar Dall told Dawn that the provincial government wanted to save the children from crippling disease forever and it launched the IPV on the recommendations of World Health Organisation (WHO).

He said the vaccine had reached the garrison city and stored in the chillers of health department.

Children from high risk areas will be administered the vaccine in first phase

The DCO said in the first phase the health department would launch the IPV in high risk union councils of the city.

“The IPV will be effective for more than a year and will be launched in a similar fashion we launched anti-measles campaign. The health department has been asked to maintain the record of the children in the high risk union councils in the district,” he said.

When contacted, Deputy District Officer Health Dr. Ehsan Ghani said that the IPV was more affective as it would enhance the immune system of the children to fight against the crippling disease at least for a year.

“Initially, the health department will inject the IPV to children of four to 23 months. The health experts will visit door-to-door and bring the children in health camp where they will be given injectable vaccines under the supervision of professional doctors to avoid any reaction,” he said.

He said the health department would not stop administering the OPV in these union councils. He said the areas in the world which had been declared polio free, the IPV was still being administered to the children as precautionary measures.

He said that in the high risk union councils, the polio virus is active.

However, a senior official of City district Government Rawalpindi (CDGR) told Dawn that the government would have to involve the local politicians in this campaign otherwise the campaign will not bring positive results.

“If the people refuse OPV then it would be difficult to convince them of injections,” he said.

He said that the local government and local politicians should launch awareness campaign before the IPV launch in the high risk union councils while involving the clerics of the local mosque so that they would highlight the importance of the IPV.

Published in Dawn, May 15th, 2015

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