KARACHI: A week-long NID Phase-2 Jan-23 campaign from January 23 to January 29 kicked off at all districts of Karachi and Hyderabad divisions to cover around total target 4.96 million children of under five years of age. Campaign has been launched at all 491 union councils of 9 districts, including 39 super high-risk and high-risk UCs of both divisions, while as many as 27,000 polio workers and staff along with 3,000 security personnel expected to be deployed during campaign.

Sindh Minister for Health and Population Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho along with Parliamentary Secretary for Health Qasim Siraj Soomro, National TFP Dr Altaf Bosan, CEO Dr Essa Laboratory Dr Farhan Essa and EOC Coordinator Fayyaz Hussain Abbasi, administered polio drops to children at MCH Center Dawood Wachani District Kemari inaugurated NID Phase-2 on January 23 campaign for Karachi and Hyderabad divisions.

NID Phase-1 ended on January 22, 2023 in other districts of Sindh. EOC Sindh core team members, DC and DHO Kemari were present.

Sindh Minister appreciated teams and suggested them to increase monitoring and supervision, especially of riverine and desert areas. She directed concerned authorities to facilitate teams and supervisors to reach displaced population to ensure 100 percent mapping and coverage of IDPs, HRMPs and nomadic population.

Dr Azra told them to focus on tracking still missed children and refusals to curb polio threat, emphasising officials to enhance vigilance over entry and exit points at all provincial borders to vaccinate all IDPs and guest children, coming especially from other provinces as Pakistan has reported 20 cases of Polio since April 2022 and they all belonged to South Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

She requested parents to get their children administered two drops of polio vaccine during NID Phase-2 Jan 23 campaign to protect their children from childhood diseases.

Giving reference to other perceptions regarding polio vaccine, Dr Azra said Pakistan Pediatric Association, Pakistan Islamic Medical Association and medical experts across world, as well as prominent religious scholars endorse oral polio vaccine as safest and most effective mean to prevent and eradicate poliovirus from province as well as country.

Published in The Daily National Courier, January, 25 2023

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