KARACHI, Feb 22: The government of Pakistan, fully committed to attaining zero polio prevalence in the country by the end of 2005, is said to lay emphasis, as a policy matter, on prevention and primary health care.

The Federal health secretary, Anwar Mehmood, talking to journalists on Tuesday, after the provincial review and planning meeting for National Immunization Days (NIDs), said the government was also planning to prevent re-emergence of the virus through an effective strategy of rectifying faulty sanitary system and sewerage networks.

A second anti-polio campaign in the current year would be undertaken from March 1 to 3 throughout Sindh to protect 6.222 million children under the age of five, it was also informed on the occasion.

Mentioning that Pakistan along with five more countries was in its last legs in attaining "zero prevalence", he said the government was equally keen to eradicating the virus, known to spread through oral and faecal routes. "For this, we not only need to ensure across the board administration of oral anti-polio vaccine (OPV) for all children till the age of five, but coordination is also being sought to help nip the virus itself," the secretary elaborated.

The federal health secretary said the government, besides strengthening the routine vaccination programme, was also making all-out efforts to combat the deteriorating environment with emphasis on improved hygienic conditions.

He, in this regard, said that the electronic media along with publications in regional languages were being extensively involved to promote health education among the masses.

The idea is not only to dispel misconceptions and myths regarding various diseases including polio, but also to inculcate among the masses the importance of personal and general hygiene coupled with prevention of diseases themselves.

According to him, it was in the very backdrop that the government had initiated the "National Primary Health Care Programme" against a cost of Rs16 billion, generated through indigenous sources with absolutely no foreign funding.

Mr Mehmood mentioned that the lady health workers' project was part of the national primary health care programme. He said measures were being taken to promote the concept of prevention ultimately reducing the growing pressure on tertiary care hospitals.

Answering a query, the federal health secretary said that a team of officials associated with the federal finance ministry had recently visited the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), the National Institute of Child Health (NICH) and the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD).

The team after reassessing the needs of all three centres would make budgetary allocations in accordance with the same under the national budget 2005-06, he said.

While with regard to the provincial review of National Immunization Days (NIDS) held in January, and planning for the NIDS scheduled to be held in March in Sindh and Punjab, Mr Mehmood reiterated the government's commitment to strengthening routine immunization programmes across the country.

He said the number of vaccinators had been increased in Sindh, and some 700 new vaccinators had been employed recently after a gap of some three years for improved public accessibility.

Mr Mehmood regretted lack of trust among a significant number of the masses on the government offered vaccination facility despite the fact that it was absolutely free of cost and of good quality.

Earlier, the Sindh health secretary, Prof Naushad Sheikh, speaking at the meeting said Pakistan with only 53 polio confirmed cases during 2004 as compared to 103 in 2003 was still among regions that needed extra efforts to reduce the number.

He mentioned that of the total 53 polio cases reported from across the country, 28 were from Sindh. The provincial government was intensifying its efforts to eradicating polio through intensive campaigns and strengthening routine immunization with the support of international donor agencies including the Who, the Unicef, Rotary, and the Jica, he informed.

During the current year, the first campaign for polio eradication had been held from Jan 11 to 13. In the second campaign from March 1 to 3 in Sindh, some 14,994 mobile teams, 1,760 fixed centres and 976 transit points would be activated.

Dr Ali Nawaz Sheikh, project director of the 'Expanded Programme on Immunization' made an elaborate presentation on the occasion reminding that of the 17 district in Sindh, 10 reported confirmed polio cases in 2004. The meeting was also addressed by Dr Tony Mounts, Dr Yahya Mustafa, Prof Iqbal Memon, Dr Rafa Aziz and others. -APP