HYDERABAD: Anti-polio drive to begin on 13th
HYDERABAD, Oct 9: EDO of health Dr Bux Ali Pitafi and district focal person Dr Ahmed Haider said that a three-day 89th round of anti-polio campaign would be launched in the district from Oct 13 to administer anti-polio drops to 301,697 children.
They said at a news conference at the press club on Thursday that 635 mobile teams had been formed and 87 fixed points and 72 transit points had been established for the purpose.
They said that six taluka supervisors, 21 zonal in-charges and 145 area in-charges had been appointed to supervise the entire campaign. Senior health officers and representatives of WHO and UNICEF would monitor the campaign, they said and appealed to parents to cooperate in the drive in a spirit of national duty.
To a question, they said that so far 70 polio cases had been reported throughout the country out of which 16 were reported in Sindh, including one case in Hyderabad.
DCO’S DIRECTIVE: The District Coordination Officer (DCO) Ali Ahmed, has directed the authorities concerned to ensure 100 per cent coverage during the three-day anti-polio campaign to be launched from October 13 and warned that refusal by parents would not be accepted.
He was speaking at a meeting of District EPI Acceleration and Polio Eradication Committee at Shahbaz Hall here on Wednesday.
The DCO said that refusal from the parents and apathy of officers in polio eradication campaign has put the nation at a great risk.
He said that with social mobilisations and deployment of health education units with required resources within health department, there was no excuse for refusal.
He said that since Hyderabad is hub of business activities, the entry routes must be plugged by deploying polio vaccination teams. He said that number of female workers must be increased in the visiting teams to ensure administration of polio drops especially to the children who might be hidden in the houses by their parents.
He said that proposals for legislation for punishing the refusals cases, issuance of birth certificates and admissions in schools only after production of vaccination card were also being considered to ensure 100 per cent coverage of polio vaccination.
The DCO also directed district health management to ensure routine vaccination at each medical facility and to perform their duties with a missionary spirit.
EDO health Mr Bux Ali Pitafi, while briefing the meeting about coming round of 3-day anti polio campaign, said that keeping in view previous experience, the district health management has brought refusal cases down from 1182 to 1015 and added that different committees comprising experts, officers and opinion leaders have been formed to convince the parents for administration of polio drops to their children under the age of five.
Dr Ahmed in his briefing informed about the details of achievements and the current status of the polio within the province and country as well. The officers and consultants from lined departments attended the meeting.