DADU: Hundreds of children below five years of age have not been vaccinated against polio in many villages in the mountainous region of the district during successive anti-polio drives by the health department, complain villagers.

The residents of villages in Karo Kot and the Khirthar range told Dawn on Monday that no polio team had reached their areas to administer drops to children.

Essa Khan Rustamani, a villager, said that about 50 children in his village had not been administered polio drops because no polio teams had arrived there during regular campaigns.

He said that villagers were very poor and could not afford to bring their children to nearby towns of Johi or Dadu for vaccination.

Also read: 'We are protecting children from polio at the cost of our lives'

Sheero Rustamani of Khundh Punhal village along a hilly track said that there were about 100 children who had not received polio drops during the last polio drive.

He said that villagers had informed the officials of the health department at Johi and Dadu that their children had not been vaccinated but no official of the health department or any member of the World Health Organisation working with the district administration and health officials had reached the area.

Sadoro Khan of Bhoro Daro village in Johi taluka complained that he had not seen any team of anti-polio volunteers in the area for the past several years. No team had ever arrived to conduct a survey for the eradication of poliovirus, he said.

Moreover, he said, no one had ever bothered to ask them to bring their children to any nearest health center to have their vaccinated against polio. Officials of health department, district administration and WHO local team were not paying attention to the remote areas of the district, he said.

A large population has been living in the area around Bodo mountain for centuries.

They are mostly illiterate and remain unaware about any team of health department administering polio vaccine.

The residents of Bodo mountain said that they had no problem with the polio teams and they would fully cooperate with the team if it ever arrived in their villages to administer polio drops to their children. There were 150 children who needed to be administered polio drops in his area, said Esso Leghari.

The residents of Kaso Ji Rakh village in Kheerthar range also complained that no polio team had reached their area to administer polio drops.

Kheero Malokhani of Kaso Ji Rustamani village said that polio team could easily reach the village through four-wheel vehicles but they had neglected the remote area. There were at least 300 children in need of vaccination, he said.

Rahim Dad, a villager of Yaroo Ji Kund in Kheerthar range, appealed to senior officials of WHO and the health department to direct health officials and the district administration to immediately administer polio drops to their children.

This correspondent made repeated calls to Dadu district health officer, Dr Javed Dawachh, on his mobile cell and office numbers but he did not attend any call.

According to a handout issued by Dadu health department, one-day polio drive was launched 15 days ago in four talukas including Johi, Khairpur Nathan Shah, Mehar and Dadu in which 106,875 children were administered polio drops.

Published in Dawn, December 16th, 2014