Sameer Nazir
KARACHI: The Chief Minister Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah has directed the management concerned to ensure Administration of Polio drops to each child of inter displaced families of North Waziristan at entry points of Sindh border and simultaneously to conduct intensive Anti-Polio campaign specially at vulnerable areas at Karachi to avoid any further spread of crippling disease of Polio in the city and province.
This he directed while presiding over meeting regarding evolving Anti-Polio strategy held at CM House Karachi. Addressing the meeting the Chief Minister Sindh said that many displaced persons / families are moving from North Waziristan to the settled areas of the different parts of the country including this province with unvaccinated children that posing threats to the health of people /children residing in the areas where IDPs are setting.
The Chief Minister Sindh said that Polio virus and terrorists are equally dangerous for the society as such strict checking has been ordered at the all entry points of borders and cities in the province to ensure that neither children of genuine IDPs and others can pass without taking Anti-Polio drops nor terrorists can enter in the province by styling themself as IDPs.
He said that provincial health department and National & International Organizations working for the Polio eradication to avail this facility and should fully concentrate specially on the IDPs influx, their possible localities and ensure that their each child up to 05 years of age is vaccinated.
He said that though these organizations have made good performance, in whole province but the emergence of Polio cases from Pakhtoon Communities in Karachi has put all efforts on the risk of Polio threat in the province.
The Chief Minister Sindh directed for establishing district Polio control rooms at each district separately and asked the district administration for registration of IDPs and collect data of their children and family status in case arrival in the district.
He also directed for keeping close coordination with Anti-Polio Organizations and gets all the children vaccinated.
The Chief Minister Sindh also directed for establishment of provincial emergency operations centers for the Polio eradication and making it functional as soon as possible. The Chief Minister Sindh also directed the Authorities of Sindh Police to provide full security to the Polio team while they are in field work.
The Coordinator of Polio over sight committee Ms. Shahnaz Wazir Ali while briefing the meeting said that this year seven Polio cases have been emerged and these all reported from Karachi, and all belongs to Pakhtoon families except one who belongs to Punjabi family.
She said that the union councils form these cases have been emerged have been kept on priority No. 01 and special attention was being made on these vulnerable areas. She said that in addition to deployment of 28 Anti-Polio teams at border of Sindh-Punjab and Sindh-Balochistan, more than 166 Anti-Polio teams are working all transits points of the cities, airports, railway stations, and roads / tool plazas to Administer the Polio drops to each child up to 05 years of age.
However she said that their teams some time are facing refusal from parents but they are trying to convince them.
Dr. Ahmed Ali Shaikh provincial focal person for polio informed the meeting that two Anti-Polio Campaigns round each from 05th July to 8th July, 2014 and 17th July to 20th July 2014 would be conducted in Karachi to vaccinated 153564 children in each round.
Besides total 194 Anti-Polio teams have been deployed at all transit points in the province including bo