Anti-polio Campaign Begins In City

A week long immunization campaign commenced here on Monday to vaccinate an estimated population of 2.2 million under five children against polio

KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Feb, 2018 ) :A week long immunization campaign commenced here on Monday to vaccinate an estimated population of 2.2 million under five children against polio.

Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI-Sindh) officials talking to APP said under the community based approach some 9,000 teams of vaccinators are being engaged to gain easy and optimum access to the targeted kids, pertaining to their respective areas of residence and vicinity.

Agreeing that there is urgency to strengthen the culture of routine immunization among the citizens across the country, he said efforts are underway to help create demand in ever expanding Karachi for vaccination, particularly against polio among the communities.

"It is with this very objective that vaccinators are assigned responsibility in their respective areas of residence and vicinity during special campaigns," the officials said. To a query, they said fool proof arrangements have been made that no under five child living in Karachi be missed in any manner.

Acknowledging that trust deficit is an issue among many of the parents, particularly those reaching Karachi from remote parts, they said communities are also being taken on board.

Community based approach has worked, said the EPI officials mentioning that influential members do exercise their influence and contribute in bringing about needed change in the mindset of many of the parents or senior members of the concerned families.

"The challenge we face is the constant arrival of families from across the country with pre-conceived notions about OPV and consequent resistance," an official said. Rigidity continues to be a challenge but we have adopted a head- on approach so that our efforts to achieve zero or at-least near to zero refusals are meaningfully achieved, he added.

The officials emphasized that OPV holds immense relevance for the children in Karachi as well as in many other parts of the country where faulty water supply lines often mingled with sewerage lines are reported to be a serious health risk for people in general and kids in particular.