Arrangements Finalized To Administer OPV To Children From Jan 21 To 27 In Sindh

KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Jan, 2019 ) :Arrangements have been finalized to administer oral polio vaccine (OPV) to some nine million children of Sindh during the week-long national immunization campaign that begins on Monday.

Sindh health department officials talking to APP said that 2.4 million children, under five years of age, would be immunized in Karachi by teams comprising 12,500 vaccinators and some 50,000 volunteers.

A strategy was said to have been also developed to handle refusals on part of parents and guardians through active involvement of community leaders and influential sections of the society.

Countering refusals, the officials said was crucial at current point of time as the country in general and province in particular was in its final phase to achieve polio free status.

Harsh reality was, however, cited to be the fact that strains of polio virus were identified in some of the sewerage water samples collected from different parts of the bustling Karachi.

Mentioning that polio virus is mainly spread though contaminated faeces excreted by child carrier with high risk to affect other children, the officials said frequent mobility of people coupled with regular population influx to Karachi could be attributed to the situation.

Repeated vaccination was said to provide needed immunity to vast majority of children with equal attention to prevent the repeated diarrhoeal episodes among local children.

In reply to a question, the officials said cops along with Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) personnel were being deployed to provide security cover to the polio workers, particularly in high risk areas.