The district coordination officers (DCOs) and executive district officers (EDOs) health would be held accountable if polio coverage targets are not achieved in their districts, said Punjab Advisor for Health Salman Rafiq Tuesday while presiding over an emergency meeting at Polio Emergency Operation Centre at Directorate General Health to review the current situation of polio in Punjab in the context of newly reported polio virus in a 9-month old baby Parwana.
He said that Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had made it clear that no leniency or slackness would be tolerated on this important issue.
He directed that the newly reported polio case in DG Khan should be further investigated and genetic type of polio virus in the baby should also be pointed out so that the resemblance of polio virus could be determined.
The meeting reviewed polio situation in the province and discussed the case of Parwana in detail. It was informed that during 2014 four polio cases were reported in the Punjab out of 303 polio cases reported from the country.
It was informed that all the reported polio cases in Punjab were of the migrated population and the family of recently polio virus affected baby had also shifted from Loralai, Balochistan to DG Khan in November 2014. The child had taken two doses of polio vaccine in DG Khan, first on December 10, 2014 and the second on January 5, 2015 whereas, the baby was declared infected with polio on December 20.
EPI Director Dr Munir Ahmed informed that two doses of polio vaccine were not sufficient for developing immunity in the child against polio virus. Dr Ubaidul Islam representative of WHO informed that 29 polio cases had been reported in Balochistan during 2014.
It was decided that besides National Immunisation Campaign against Polio, special anti-polio campaigns would be continued in the high risk districts and union councils and efforts would be made to reach every child.
