No place for complacency in polio eradication efforts

The country can not afford any complacency in its efforts to eradicate polio as any delay may jeopardise efforts being made for "Polio Free World," jointly undertaken by international community. Sindh Secretary for Health, Syed Hashim Raza Zaidi told newsmen on Monday, following the inaugural ceremony of National Immunisation Days that began across the country and will continue for next three days.
"It is true that Pakistan is one of the very few countries that are still struggling to eradicate the polio virus," he said. "Realising our responsibility as an individual state all the provinces of the country including Sindh have geared up efforts besides improving strategies to achieve the goal," he said. He categorically denied any possibility of poor efficacy of vaccines being use or inadequacies in maintenance of the cold chain.
In reply to a query, he said, "Keeping in view that cases identified during past few months comprised children who pertained to flood affected areas or had history of moving from most remote areas we have established 1,386 transient points in the province." Syed Hashim Raza Zaidi said those transient points comprised all bus and railway stations located at the entry and exit points between Sindh - Punjab and Sindh and Balochistan.
Answering to another question, he said Oral Polio Vaccination (OPV) coverage rate has also improved during the current year. "In Sindh we have adopted a concentrated approach with major focus on towns and talukas so as to ensure that concerned officials turn extremely vigilant," he said.
Sindh Health Secretary said under this very strategy towns and talukas' officials failing to achieve 95 percent coverage rate would be strictly penalised. He also referred to a town in Karachi that during the previous SNIDs could not achieve above 90 percent immunisation coverage rate and said that issue was being investigated. "We believe in the carrot and stick policy and while no lethargy and failure will be tolerated those performing well will be duly acknowledged," he said.
Addressing the parents and health department officials at the ceremony held at Sobhraj Maternity Hospital, one of the most visited mother and child clinic in the metropolis, he said none of the under five child should be allowed to be deprived of their right to protection against polio virus. "It cripples and severely compromises the life of the victim child," he said.
Sindh Secretary for Health said 2.24 million children upto the age of five years would be vaccinated during the three-day exercise in Sindh. "There will be 1,951 fixed centres, 17,473 mobile teams and 1,386 transient points," he said. The ceremony was also attended by Manager, Expanded Program on Immunisation (EPI-Sindh), Dr. Mazhar Khamisani, WHO Team Leader for Sindh, Dr. Yehia Ghaffar, EDO-Health, Dr. Javaid Nasir Shaikh, EDO (Preventive), Dr. Pervez Aslam and others.