KARACHI: Sindh has registered 10 cases of polio mellitus, including three in Karachi, during the first four months of the current year with one of the child confirmed with all his limbs paralysed and another with an arm and a leg crippled.
Sources associated with Expanded Program on Immunization for Sindh (EPI-Sindh) told APP Thursday that children inflicted with the crippling disease this year included three girls and seven boys, aged between seven months to 36 months.
Mohammad Asif, aged 20 months with all his limbs affected lives at a slum (Hijrat Colony) in Karachi and was administered oral anti polio vaccine (OPV) four times. Twice under routine program and two times during special campaigns as national and sub national immunization days.
“Parents had repeatedly refused to get their child vaccinated,” said Dr. Mazhar Khamisani, Manager, EPI -Sindh.
The three and a half years old Ameera from Tando Allahyar had one of her arms and legs paralysed. She was vaccinated only once under routine vaccination program, however, received the dosage seven times during special campaigns.
Ameera was first of the confirmed cases of polio during the current year.
The other two girls Noor Bano (12 months) from Badin and Shahida (18 months) from Thatta had each of their legs crippled. Their cases were confirmed in March and April respectively.
Umer son of Jaroo (Late) and Ayaz son of Mohamamd Hayat had no history of any vaccination. Both the boys with one of their legs affected belonged to Tando Mohammad Khan.
Eighteen month old Mawiya s/o Tawab, an inhabitant of Orangi (another slum in Karachi) was never immunized under routine program and got 10 dosages during special campaigns.
The youngest of the affectees, seven months old, Arif s/o Najib, received no routine immunization but was exposed to five boosters.
Sixteen months old Ganwhar s/o Chulam Hyder Chang from Badin received three doses under routine program and seven during special campaigns. His case was confirmed in March this year.
Sher Gul, (12 months), s/o Naseeb Aurakzai, from Lassi Goth, Gadap Town in Karachi brought the total number of confirmed cases from Karachi, in the current year, to three.
History of the Sher Gul, confirmed to be polio affected in the first week of April, showed him to have received three routine dosages of OPV and eight during national and sub national immunization days.
Child specialists expressing their serious concern about the situation and vulnerability of the children in the country to the ailment largely eradicated from the world suggested need to make strict compliance to the vaccination schedule mandatory for all under five children.
“It pains to witness that children even after a more than decade long campaign against polio receive no or insignificant protection against the virus,” commented Dr. Abdul Ghaffar Biloo.
The doctors were particularly aggrieved to find that 10 of the cases confirmed till April 17 included no less than three from Karachi only.
“That they were living in slum like conditions can not be accepted as an excuse,” Dr. Ali Khan.
The fact that al cases pertained to P-One strain of the virus makes the job a little easier through persistence and sincerity of purpose among those responsible to eradicate polio in the country, said the experts.
They were of unanimous opinion that people must be compelled to get their children vaccinated not only against Polio but all vaccine preventable diseases provided under EPI and also those that are essential and recommended under routine immunization.
They acknowledged that administrative flaws were needed to be addressed with strict criterion of accountability.
“We believe that media as a stakeholder must take upon itself to motivate and educate masses,” said Dr. Biloo.
He appealed that media houses must accept their social responsibility on voluntary basis and beam special messages at frequent intervals on daily basis to pave for a healthy future for the children in country.