RAWALPINDI: The City District Government Rawalpindi (CDGR) has failed to launch its anti-polio campaigns in the district, especially in high-risk union councils (UC), which had to be postponed due to the political situation in the twin cities.

It has now been decided to launch the campaigns in the last week of September during the national immunisation days (NID), even though the 12 high-risk union councils of the district needed immediate attention.

A senior official of the health department told Dawn that due to the political tension in Islamabad, there was a shortage of staff and an insecure situation in the garrison city, since the roads and streets were blocked during the last one month.

He said the health staff required police protection in the high-risk union councils to administer anti-polio vaccine, but the police was busy dealing with participants of the PTI and PAT sit-ins.

The anti-polio campaigns were postponed thrice in August and early September, the official said, adding that the department failed to get security clearance for the campaign.

He admitted that there was a dire need to launch the drives in high-risk union councils as the environmental samples of these areas had tested positive for poliovirus in May.

Campaigns were to be held in August, but the health department could not get security clearance

“According to the protocol, the health department should launch special campaigns in the high-risk union councils, immediately after detection of a polio case in neighbouring districts. In Chakwal, a child was diagnosed with the virus, while there have been appearance of new polio cases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP),” he said.

He said there was mass movement of people from KP in Rawalpindi’s high-risk union council.

These areas include Pirwadhai, Dhoke Hassu, Dhoke Mangtal, Khayaban-i-Sir Syed, Fauji Colony along with three wards of the cantonment and two union councils in Taxila.

When contacted, District Officer Health Dr Khalid Randhawa said there were rumours about the shortage of vaccine.

“We had sufficient stock of the vaccine, which will be enough for the next few months,” he clarified.

He said due to the political situation and security concerns, the anti-polio campaigns had to be postponed in August.

However, he said the government would launch the campaigns in September and it would cover all the areas in every district across the province.

Dr Randhawa added that due to the scheduled campaigns in the end of September, there was no need to launch special campaigns in high-risk union councils.

He said the health department had launched many campaigns in the high-risk union councils before and during Ramazan, which would be enough.

District Coordination Officer (DCO) Sajid Zafar Dall also confirmed that the anti-polio campaigns were not postponed due to shortage of vaccine and said they were postponed due to unavailability of sufficient security.

Published in Dawn, September 9th , 2014