KARACHI: Despite unpredictable weather conditions in Karachi, the nine-day special vaccination campaign to protect children against polio began in 10 different towns on Monday.
During the campaign that is being managed by the Emergency Operation Centre for Polio (EOCP), around 1,529,487 under the age of five years would be administrated Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV).
Another estimated number of 1,483,602 children, aged between four to five years were to be injected with the Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) so as to be provided with additional protection, supplementing the immunity they previously received through repeated oral polio vaccination.
These children belonged to 106 union councils of Gadap, Bin Qasim, Landhi, Baldia, SITE, Korangi, Orangi, Liaqutabad, North Nazimabad and Gulshan e Iqbal respectively.
According to officials associated with the Sindh EOCP, the presence of poliovirus strain in the sewage samples collected by concerned authorities leaves no room for any complacency.
Meanwhile, Karachi Commissioner Iftikhar A Shalwani, in a special appeal, urged concerned parents to ensure that their children were not deprived of the essentially needed vaccines.
He has also taken strong exception to recent cases of Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) in the metropolis leading to two deaths in almost a week’s time.
The commissioner said that proper vaccination of cattle with equal attention towards proper hygiene and relevant care of pens and surrounding localities must be ensured to protect the population in general against the tick-borne disease.
