Oral Polio Vaccination drive: EPI Sindh decides not to include five badly rain-affected districts

The authorities of Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) Sindh have decided in principle not to include five badly rain-affected districts in second phase of Oral Polio Vaccination (OPV), well-placed sources told Business Recorder. The second phase of administering OPVs would be started from September 26 (Tomorrow) to September 29.
EPI Sindh had completed its door-to-door three-day campaign from 19th to 21st September 2011, in various parts of Karachi. About 2,332,269 children of up to five-years-age have been administered polio drops in the city. Sources said that Badin, Sanghar, Matiari, Tando Mohammad Khan and Tandoallahyar districts have been badly affected due to recent heavy rains and the children of these areas would not be administered OPVs in next phase. While, polio teams would administer OPVs in Hyderabad, Sukkur, Khairpur Mirs, Ghotki, Dadu, Thata, Jamshoro, Jacobabad, Larkana, Qambar-Shahdadkot, Kashmore-Kandhkot, Shaheed Benazirabad, Naushehroferoze and other districts of province in next phase, source said.
This decision was taken in the light of reports of DCOs and EDOs (Health) of said districts, during the meeting, held at the office of Secretary Health here at new Sindh Secretariat Building. DCOs and EDOs (Health) Badin, Sanghar, Matiari, Tando Mohammad Khan and Tandoallahyar districts have mentioned in their reports that these districts have been devastated due to rains so it's very impossible to launch anti-polio campaign in these days, sources said.
However, the meeting has not decided the next dates for these remaining districts; it would be finalised in another meeting, which would be held after the completion of next phase of Anti-Polio campaign, sources said. The sub-national immunisation days (SNIDs), on the 19, 20 and 21st September 2011 were only being observed in Karachi and not the rest of the province due to recent heavy rains which have devastated almost all districts of the province. About 2.5 million children would be administered OPVs from September 26 to September 29 in 17 districts of the province, sources said.
It is pertinent to mention here that 17 confirmed cases of polio have been reported in the province during the current year including four from Karachi. The cases in other districts were reported from Thatta, Badin, Sanghar, Tando Mohammad Khan, Umerkot, Jamshoro and TandoAllahyar. So far, 77 cases of polio have been reported from entire Pakistan in comparison to one case from India, 18 from Afghanistan, 26 from Nigeria.