KARACHI: Amid calls for a thorough and transparent assessment of the polio eradication program, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah chaired meetings on Thursday where he expressed the government’s resolve for zero tolerance towards parents refusing vaccine drops for their children.

He also announced the engagement of elected members and civil society members in the upcoming anti-polio campaign starting from October 28.

The meetings of the Provincial Task Force on Polio and another held in connection with World Polio Day took place at the CM House.

The country has so far reported 40 polio cases, including 12 in Sindh. The Task Force meeting began with a detailed briefing on the current polio status and ongoing preparations for the upcoming campaign (October 28-November 3).

Says Sindh plans to vaccinate 10.6m children in upcoming campaign

The attendees included provincial ministers Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, Syed Sardar Shah, Saeed Ghani, Jam Khan Shoro, Shahina Sher Ali, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, IG Police Ghulam Nabi Memnon, and Provincial Coordinator (EOC) Irshad Sodhar, along with WHO representatives and others.

Participants were informed that 10.6 million children under the age of five would be targeted in the 30 districts during the upcoming drive (October 28-November 3). Moreover, 9.5m children between the ages of six months and five years will receive Vitamin A capsules.

The campaign will begin in the Mirpurkhas Division (Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Tharparkar) on Friday (October 25), while the rest of the 27 districts will start the campaign on Monday (October 28). A total of 80,000 frontline workers will participate in this campaign.

Warning to parents

To a question, the chief minister was informed that 11,896 out of 39,908 refusals were approached during the special missed children coverage activity, which represents 30 per cent of refusals. A total of 5,764 (48pc of the approached refusals) and 51,448 ‘not available’ children were tracked and vaccinated.

“This time, there will be zero tolerance against refusal cases. I have decided to engage parliamentarians, other elected members, civil society, and the ulema in the drive,” the chief minister stated during the meeting. He instructed the deputy commissioners to ensure the administration of the polio vaccine to children, emphasising that failure to meet this target will not be tolerated.

Mr Shah also stated that the SSPs have been given clear instructions to provide appropriate security to the polio teams so that they can achieve their targets.

During the meeting, he announced the adjournment of the ongoing provincial assembly session to allow all members to actively participate in administering polio drops to children under the age of five in their respective constituencies.

At the World Polio Day gathering, the chief minister said that the provincial government, in collaboration with its national and international partners, was committed to eradicating polio from the province.

He recalled that Prime Minister Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto launched the polio eradication campaign in 1994.

“Three decades have passed since that campaign, but unfortunately, we are still struggling against polio to save the future of our children. So far this year, 40 polio cases have been reported in the country, including 12 in Sindh, 20 in Balochistan, six in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and one in Punjab. Afghanistan has reported 23 cases,” he said. According to him, the frequent movement of people from Afghanistan to Pakistan and between provinces is one of the reasons behind the resurgence of polio cases.

In her remarks, Dr Pechuho said the provincial government was committed to using every available resource to ensure that every child receives the life-saving drops. “Our special focus remains on high-risk districts and hard-to-reach communities, with thousands of frontline workers actively engaged in ongoing vaccination campaigns,” she said.

Irshad Ali Sodhar, Provincial Coordinator for the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) Sindh, acknowledged the dedication of health workers. “Our health workers are the backbone of the polio eradication effort. They face many challenges in the field, but their determination to protect every child is inspiring. We are confident that with their continued efforts, we will see the last polio case in Sindh soon.”

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) issued a statement demanding a comprehensive and transparent investigation into the reasons behind the resurgence of polio in Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, October 25th, 2024