Commissioner Karachi reviews arrangements for Polio Eradication campaign

Karachi, November 09, 2018 (PPI-OT): Commissioner Karachi Iftikhar Ali Shallwani reviewed the arrangements for the Polio Eradication campaign and decided to begin the week-long campaign from November 12. The campaign will be carried out in 192 union councils of the city and more than 2.2 million children, up to the age of five years, will be administered anti-polio drops. As per arrangements made, 13 thousand polio workers including supervisors will perform their duties to administer the anti-polio drops.

Karachi Commissioner Iftikhar Shallwani directed the deputy commissioners to hold the meetings at their district polio control rooms to ensure that the arrangements made were satisfactory before the start of the campaign every day. Likewise they should also hold the meetings at the end of the day of the campaign daily to review the progress of the anti-polio campaign, he added. He said that polio eradication was a national cause and it would be the top priority of the government to carry out its efforts for the elimination of polio virus from the city.

The meeting was attended among others by the Provincial Coordinator for the Emergency Operation Centre Sindh, Umar Farooq Bullo, Additional Commissioner Karachi –II Ghulam Murtaza Memon, Director Health Dr. A Mahar, Coordinator Commissioner Karachi Task force Dr Nusrat Ali, all deputy commissioners, senior officials of Health Department, all town health officers, senior officials of Police, Pakistan Rangers, representatives of WHO, UNICEF, Bill Gates Foundation.

Commissioner Karachi said the chief Minister of Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah has directed the city administration to take special steps to make the efforts effective for the polio eradication. He said on the directives of the Chief Minister Government of Sindh, Sindh government has notified an Emergency Response Unit as well as has been set up Gujro Task Force headed by the Commissioner Karachi so as to special focus could be made for the polio eradication in the High risk union councils and Super High Risk Union Councils Commissioner Karachi said that the Task force has been set up on the recommendation of the Provincial Health Minster.

He hoped that the members of the task force will play their due role to complete their responsibilities and would carry out extra efforts for the eradication of polio in high risk union councils on priority bases. It was informed in the meeting that 66 polio cases have been found during the period from 2008 to 2018. 22 polio cases out of these were from the Gadap Town, while 12 cases found were from Union Council Gujro which is the highest in any union council in the city. Presently there is only one case of polio is in the city which belongs to this union council.

For more information, contact:
Director Media
Commissioner Karachi Division
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