KARACHI: A polio case was reported on Saturday from Sujawal district, taking the total number of cases in Sindh to five and in the country to 15 this year, officials said.

Officials in the emergency operations centre (EOC) for polio in Sindh said an eight-month-old child, Azeem, son of Abdul Rehman, had received two doses of the polio vaccine but due to zero routine immunisation his immunity was weak.

EOC Coordinator Fayaz Jatoi expressed his disappointment over the case and requested parents to vaccinate and ensure routine immunisation for their children to increase immunity against the disease.

Mr Jatoi, along with members of the Sindh EOC, the United Nations Children’s Fund and World Health Organisation called an emergency meeting in Sujawal where the commissioner of Hyderabad and the district health officials were present.

During the meeting, he highlighted the importance of vaccinating every child during the polio campaign and urged the district administration to ensure strong surveillance and accountability. He insisted on acquiring correct data from the field and for gaps to be addressed immediately.

A statement issued by EOC asked for further investigation regarding the recent case calling for strict accountability. “A response unit team will probe the situation and bring facts on the table for accountability measures.”

Published in Dawn, October 9th, 2016