Another polio case reported in Jacobabad

Another polio case in a child surfaced in Jacobabad on Thursday, taking the number of polio virus in Sindh to two during the current year.

According to health department sources, a minor was brought to a hospital where he was diagnosed with polio virus positive after testing his blood sample. On the other hand, an anti-polio campaign is underway in different parts of Sindh to vaccinate polio drops to the children.

It may be added that the virus was tested positive in a 34-month-old baby identified as Sher Ali in Karachi. Meanwhile, Karachi Commissioner Asif Hyder Shah on Thursday claimed that polio vaccine refusal cases had declined by 70 per cent in Karachi and efforts were underway to further improve vaccination coverage in the city by coordination with religious scholars.

The commissioner had stated this during media briefing on polio at Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) Sindh Office. Emergency Coordinator Dr Muhammad Usman Chachar, Begum Shahnaz Wazir Ali and others officials were also present on this occasion. Asif Hyder Shah informed that polio refusals cases had been significantly declined from 40,000 to 14,000 in Karachi and further efforts were underway to achieve the target with the help of religious scholars.

He said Pakistan was near to eradicate polio from the country and upcoming three polio drives would play a major role in eradication of this crippling disease from the country.

He said eradication of polio virus from Pakistan was not possible without Karachi. He said overall security situation had been improved in the city in last two years. The security too had been beefed up for the protection of polio workers, he added.

He further informed that six polio cases had been reported throughout the country in 2016 out of which two were reported from Sindh province. He said a three-day polio drive would start from March 14 in the city where about 2.2million would be administrated polio drops.