KARACHI, July 15: At least nine cases of polio have been reported in Sindh so far, Project Director of Extended Programme of Immunization (EPI), Sindh Dr. Shamsunissa Ansari said here on Monday.

Speaking at a press conference at Karachi Press Club (KPC), the Sindh EPI chief said over all Pakistan 23 cases of polio have been reported against 106 cases last year.

In Sindh, four cases have been reported in Ghotki district, two in Karachi, and one each from Dadu, Hyderabad and Jacobabad districts of the Sindh.

The vaccination coverage in Sindh is being improved and it is hoped the number of polio cases would further be decreased, she added.

To a question, she said that the multi-dose vaccinations of Hepatitis-B vials is very much safe if they are administered through auto-destruct or one-time-use syringes.

She contradicted a newsitem appeared in a section of the press that use of multidoze vials of Hepatitis-B is hazardous.

“We have been using multidoze vaccines in our programme for the last 25 years and there is no harm to use multidoze vials,” said Dr. Ansari.

She said the infectious disease like Hepatitis B and C and AIDS can only spread through percutaneous, parenteral and sexual routs. These deadly diseases cannot be transmitted through air, contaminated food or water, so obviously there is no possibility of spread of these diseases until and unless you use one syringe to vaccinate more than one persons, she added.

To avoid this, the Sindh EPI chief said that one has to ensure that only one syringe is used, not only this, but every syringe is destroyed in such a manner that it cannot be reused again after the first use.

She said Hepatitis is a blood-borne disease and the multi- vials cannot cause the disease.

These multi-doze vials are within the reach of those poor people, who cannot afford costly vaccines, so any attempt to malign the use of multidose vials on the basis of whims and vested interest might deprive the poor population of this country form protection of Hepatitis B. The WHO has also clearly endorsed the use of multidose vials of Hepatitis B vaccines, she added.—PPI/APP