NAWABSHAH, April 30: More than 70 cases of polio were reported during the past two years throughout the country which include 24 cases in Sindh.
It was revealed by a representative of World Health Organisation, Javed Ahmed Bhutto, while briefing a meeting of district polio eradication committee chaired by the DCO of Nawabshah on Wednesday.
He said 41 cases were reported in 2006, while 30 cases were reported in 2007 throughout the country.Mr Javed said that there was a need for a more concerted effort to eradicate the menace from the country.
Nawabshah DCO Khursheed Naeem Malik expressed concern over a polio case reported in 60-Mile union council of Nawabshah this year, and directed the officials to carry out practical work instead of repeating same things in the papers and meetings.
He asked the health officials to give more attention and cover all areas of the district during the campaign so that polio could be eliminated from the area.
The DCO directed the EDO health to provide all facilities, including conveyance to the staff especially to female staff performing duties as vaccinators during the anti-polio campaign.
He assured the health department of complete cooperation through union council nazims, mukhtiarkars and police during the campaign.
EDO health Dr Bahadur Khero informed the meeting that 504 teams had been constituted for vaccination of approximately 245,060 children under 5 years of age in the district.
Our Larkana correspondent adds: The district coordination officer of Larkana, Abdul Aziz Uqaili, has called for an all-out effort by the health department to eradicate polio from the district.He was presiding over a meeting of the district polio eradication committee on Thursday.
He stressed upon the need for creating awareness among the public about the disease through the media.
He asked officials to specially focus remote areas so that not even a child could be left out without being administered the anti-polio drop.
Larkana District Officer Health Dr Khalil Ahmed Shaikh briefing the meeting said that 529 mobile teams would go door to door to administer the anti-polio drops to the children.
While 30 polio teams would work at railway stations, hospitals, markets and bus stops to administer anti-polio drops to the children. Similarly, the 69 fix points have been set up at rural Health Centers, Basic Health Units and government dispensaries in the district for the purpose.
APP adds: Hyderabad District Nazim Kanwar Naveed Jamil has asked the health department officials to prepare a comprehensive strategy to ensure administering of drops to every child during a three-day polio eradication campaign starting from May 6.
He was speaking at a meeting of polio eradication committee here at his office on Wednesday.
The meeting reviewed the progress of the previous anti-polio campaign.
The nazim said those parents who were refusing immunisation of their children against polio were pushing their future into darkness and depriving them of a basic demand for a healthy life.
He asked the officers of the health department to motivate parents to immunise their children and inform them about hazard of polio.
He called upon public representatives, media, social and non-governmental organisations to play their role in sensitising public about polio.