Commissioner Karachi Syed Hassan Naqvi chaired a meeting on Friday to review arrangements for the anti-polio campaign scheduled from July 6 to July 12. The meeting was held at his office, where Deputy Commissioners and the Coordinator of the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre, Shahryar Memon, briefed him on the preparations.
Campaign Details and Deployment
It was informed that the anti-polio drive would continue in Karachi for six days, with all district administrations and the Emergency Operations Centre finalizing arrangements for implementation. Polio drops will be administered to 2.5 million children up to the age of five, with 26,000 polio workers deployed. Additionally, 7,000 security personnel will be deployed for security purposes.
Environmental Samples Show Positive Trends
Briefings from the National Emergency Operations Center and the Provincial Emergency Operations Center (Sindh) indicated that, according to a report by the Federal Ministry of Health, the majority of environmental samples collected across the country, and particularly in Sindh, have tested negative. The circulation of the polio virus continues to be restricted, reflecting progress in eradication efforts.
Officials from the provincial and national emergency operations centers commended the efforts to eradicate the polio virus, praising the contributions of the Karachi Commissioner, Deputy Commissioners, Assistant Commissioners, Health Department officials, and polio workers, especially frontline workers.
Commissioner's Directives
The Commissioner stated that the door-to-door campaign in Karachi is being enhanced through collaboration with the Health Department and international organizations. He noted that the data collection system has been improved, with a specific focus on methodology. He further said that the support of schools and hospitals has been instrumental in achieving vaccination targets and lauded the efforts undertaken under the supervision of the Karachi administration to eliminate the polio virus. He expressed hope that these efforts would continue to eradicate the polio virus from the country.
Focus on Missed and Refusal Children
The Commissioner urged all Deputy Commissioners, relevant officials, and workers to make anti-polio efforts more effective and to pursue the struggle for a polio-free country with a spirit of national dedication. He emphasized the importance of engaging and cooperating with the community to ensure the success of this endeavor. He stressed the need to ensure that the set target was achieved to the fullest extent possible and to focus intensely on vaccinating children who have been missed or whose parents refused the vaccine.
Deputy Commissioners were directed to prioritize efforts for the coverage of refusal and missed children with the support of community members, local dignitaries, religious scholars, and other opinion leaders.
