HYDERABAD, June 21: The adviser to the Sindh chief minister on health, Faisal Malik Gabol, has termed migration from other countries and provinces to Sindh and propaganda by religious and political parties as main causes for delay in eradicating polio in the province. He, however, expressed the hope that the disease would be eradicated in Sindh this year.

He was speaking at a press conference as a three-day polio-eradication and immunization campaign started in Sindh on Tuesday.

“Migration from countries like Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and India as well as influx of people from other provinces had led to the rise in polio cases in the past. However, the situation has been brought under control in the last three to four rounds,” said the adviser when asked why efforts to eradicate polio had failed.

He blamed religious as well as political parties for propagating in the past that polo drops contained family planning vaccine which had scared people. “However, things have improved significantly and the community has been participating in the campaign now due to the health department’s efforts,” he said.

He said this year people living in compounds and other localities had been covered. He said special attention had been paid to rural areas and called the Jacobabad district a high risk area.

Mr Gabol said 6.2 million children would be administered anti-polio drops by 3,462 mobile and 1,070 fixed teams at basic health units, rural health centres and dispensaries. He said the period of the campaign would be extended to cover maximum number of children. He said that after the campaign, it would be evaluated that how many children could not be covered.

He said last year 28 polio cases had been reported but now there were only two cases.

He denied embezzlement in funds for the campaign on the ground that payments had been made by DCOs or EDOs and the Sindh health department had not received any such reports.

He said an ordinance to check manufacturing of gutka and its sale was pending.

He said the health department had submitted SNEs (summary for new establishment) for health facilities in the budget. He confirmed that a proposal had been forwarded for withdrawing 20 reciprocal seats in colleges and universities of Sindh but a final decision was yet to be taken.

Earlier, the adviser inaugurated the anti-polio campaign at Phulleli Taluka Hospital by administering drops to children.

Speaking on the occasion, the EDO, health, Dr Nazar Mohammad Junejo, said since October 2004 no polio case had been reported in the defunct Hyderabad district.

The adviser also visited the Ismail Soomro village in the Qasimabad taluka to inaugurate a “Stop Polio Seminar” and a free medical camp organized by the Sindh Health Organization.