QUETTA: All measures are being taken to prevent polio virus from entering Balochistan from the bordering districts of Sindh and Punjab, said Dr Syed Saifur Rehman, Coordinator of the Emergency Operation Centre for Polio.

A meeting was held in the office of Commissioner Nasirabad which focused on establishing permanent vaccination transit points to prevent the virus from getting close to nomad population. Besides the commissioner of Nasirabad, those present in the meeting were deputy commissioner, district health officer, and representatives of the World Health Organisation and Unicef.

Dr Rehman said that frequent movement of nomads between eastern Balochistan, and northern and south Punjab had increased the risks of virus travelling along.

Consequently, he said, officers had been directed to improve the quality of campaign through micro-planning and micro-census.

The purpose of the exercise was to launch a comprehensive inter-provincial campaign for synchronising coordination and communication in all three provinces to control polio virus from spreading around, he said.

Jaffarabad, Nasirabad, Jhal Magsi and Kachhi districts were high-risk zones since gypsies come to these four districts for their livelihood in agriculture fields and brick kilns, Dr Rehman said.

Vaccination centres will be established at fixed points on the frontiers of the province as the existence of virus in Rahim Yar Khan, Jacoabad and Shikarpur had been confirmed, he said, adding this would help in improving coordination with central Pakistan.

He informed the meeting that anti-polio campaign would be launched on April 25 in 13 districts, adding that deputy commissioners would oversee it at the union council level.

Published in Dawn, April 15th, 2016