In a concerted effort to combat the poliovirus, which has been detected in environmental samples throughout Karachi, around 1.037 million children between the ages of four months and five years will be targeted in the next campaign, officials said on Monday.
They said the children would be vaccinated with a fractional dose of inactivated poliovirus vaccine (fIPV) alongside the oral polio vaccine (OPV) during a special drive in the high-risk union councils of the city starting August 15.
Needle-free injectors will be used for the mass administration of the fIPV during the campaign in 85 “super high-risk and high-risk” UCs in Karachi, the officials announced during a Karachi Taskforce on Polio meeting presided over by Karachi Commissioner Syed Hasan Naqvi.
The meeting, convened by the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) for Polio Eradication in Karachi, included participants from Unicef, WHO, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Rotary International, the Pakistan Rangers Sindh, and other stakeholders.
Provincial EOC officials said vaccination teams would visit homes in high-risk areas, and direct parents and caregivers to bring their children to outreach and permanent vaccination sites, where both fIPV and OPV would be administered.
In a detailed presentation by EOC Sindh Coordinator Irshad Ali Sodhar during the meeting, the polio task force discussed operational and communication strategies as well as campaign readiness.
The campaign, conducted in two phases, will target approximately 1.1 million children under the age of five with OPV, with over 1.037 million of these children between four months and five years also receiving fIPV.
“We are thankful to the commissioner for his continuing support of the polio programme, which has boosted the morale of the entire city administration as well as of our teams,” remarked Sodhar.
“This campaign is critical in changing the course of history and wiping out the virus from Karachi once and for all.” Sindh Health Secretary Rehan Baloch also held a comprehensive readiness meeting for the upcoming fIPV vaccination campaign. The meeting, attended by Sodhar, core team members, and all the district health officers of the city, aligned efforts to conquer polio.
“As we mobilise for this extensive vaccination effort, our focus remains clear: ensuring every child is protected from polio,” said Baloch. “We are dedicating all health facilities and our skilled staff to this special activity. Our collective efforts today are pivotal for a polio-free tomorrow.”
The 4,697 mobilised teams will guide parents to outreach centres, ensuring that every eligible child receives both vaccines. Highlighting the critical nature of the campaign in halting virus circulation within the city, the meeting also emphasised logistical preparedness and robust community involvement.
Baloch commended the relentless efforts of health workers and the cooperative spirit of the community. “The journey to eradicating polio is fraught with challenges, yet with our united front, we stand ready to face them head-on.”
The poliovirus has affected 12 children this year in Pakistan: nine in Balochistan, two in Sindh, and one in Punjab. The wild poliovirus has been detected in the environmental samples of 58 districts across Pakistan, including all seven districts of Karachi.
Published in News Daily on 06-August-2024.
