KARACHI: The first phase of the ongoing anti-polio drive was completed on Tuesday with over 95 per cent coverage in 40 high-risk and super high-risk union committees, officials associated with the polio eradication initiative said.

Under the drive, children under the age of five years are being administered fractional Inactivated Polio Vaccine (fIPV) along with oral polio drops.

“Our teams successfully vaccinated over 95 per cent of children in the initial 40 UCs during the first phase of the fIPV campaign, which was launched on August 15,” said Irshad Ali Sodhar, provincial coordinator for the Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) Sindh.

The second phase of the drive to vaccinate the remaining half million children in 45 UCs would begin on Wednesday (today), he added.

Second phase of anti-polio drive in remaining 45 UCs begins today

According to the EOC’s data, by the end of the campaign’s fifth day, a total of 509,869, out of 537,638 eligible children, received the fractional dose of the polio vaccine via jet injectors, reaching the 95pc target.

Additionally, 540,093, out of 569,835, children under the age of five were administered oral polio vaccine drops.

“The highest fIPV acceptance rate was recorded in the UCs of Orangi Town, where 105pc of the target was achieved with the help of jet injectors, and 100pc of children received oral polio drops during the drive. In Karachi West, 100pc of eligible children received fIPV, while 90pc received oral drops,” Mr Sodhar stated.

According to officials, the campaign witnessed a steady improvement despite initial resistance to the fIPV on the first day.

“Motivated team leaders and volunteers worked diligently to ensure every child in the targeted areas was vaccinated,” Mr Sodhar shared, pointing out that the campaign’s progress was closely monitored by the chief minister, chief secretary and the health minister.

The EOC’s data showed that 99pc of children received fIPV in district South’s UCs while 113pc were given OPV.

In Karachi Central’s UCs, 96pc of children were vaccinated with fIPV, while 104pc received OPV drops.

In Malir’s UCs, 96pc and 97pc of children were administered fIPV and OPV drops, respectively.

In District East’s UCs, 93pc and 96pc of children were given IPV and OPV drops, respectively, while in Keamari, 84pc and 89pc of children received fIPV and OPV drops.

According to experts, this is the first large-scale vaccination campaign using needle-free jet injectors to administer fractional doses of the inactivated poliovirus vaccine (fIPV). This method was previously used on a smaller scale in Karachi in 2019.

The jet injectors being used to administer fIPV are painless with no side-effects.

A single dose of fIPV, experts say, is highly immunogenic, and two doses provide even higher immunity. When oral polio drops are co-administered with fIPV, they enhance gut immunity and prevent viral transmission within the community.

Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2024