KARACHI: The Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) for polio in Sindh is launching an anti-polio drive in ten towns and 106 Union Councils (UC) of Karachi from February 18 to February 26.
Around 1,483,602 children of the age of four to five years and 1,529,487 under the age of five years would be administrated Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV)/Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) during the upcoming campaign.
The Sindh government has decided to launch the IPV campaign which adds protection for children who might fall prey to this virus after strains of poliovirus were found in the megacity.
About 2,000 centres are being established in the 106 UCs of the city where parents will bring their children to give them injections and OPV to save them from polio. The parents have been appealed to bring their children to centres for vaccination.
Only one polio case was detected in Karachi in 2018; however, because of the presence of the polio virus in sewage, EOC Sindh is launching IPV and OPV drive in the city.
The education department Sindh has also directed the heads of schools for administering IPV and OPV vaccine to students in the upcoming campaign. They have been directed coordinate with polio teams.
The drive will be conducted in Korangi, Orangi, Landhi, SITE, Gulshan e Iqbal, Baldia, Liaquatabad, North Nazimabad, Gadap and Bin Qasim towns from Feb 18 and will continue till Feb 26, 2019.