Mayo Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Zahid Pervaiz and Professor Nosheen Aziz, Head of Social and Preventive Paeds Department, King Edward Medical University Lahore have said that the oral polio vaccine (OPV drops) were fully effective and there was no problem of efficacy as shown by the surveillance results – that with one year, there was only one case of polio in Punjab.
They said this while addressing a joint press conference in the hospital to nullify the effects of propaganda against the anti-polio campaign in the media. Dr Zahid Pervaiz said that OPV provided to the Health Department was tested and verified for efficacy, before it was supplied and used for vaccination. Moreover, to maintain an effective immunity level in children, it had to be given repeatedly in a year. He further said that the cold chain of the vaccine was maintained from the point of manufacturing to the users. All the transportation and storage of OPV was at the recommended temperature and there was no question of any disruption of cold chain of OPV, he concluded.
