Karachi, February 25, 2022 (PPI-OT):Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that since July 2020 no new polio case has emerged in the province and its credit goes to regular campaigns and the environment samples have also been turned negative by opening water filtration plants, experimental dispensaries, model EPI centers, mother and child health facilities. “Zero polio cases across the province since July 2021 is good news for the future of the children of Pakistan.”

This he said on Friday just after launching a week-long anti-polio drive by administering polio drops to children at CM House. The ceremony was attended by Provincial Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, Parliamentary Secretary on Health Qasim Siraj Soomro, Commissioner Karachi Iqbal Memon, Secretary Health Zulfiqar Shah, DG Health Dr Juman Bahoto, Provincial Coordinator EOC Fayaz Abbasi, Project Director Irshad Memon and others.

Minister Health Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho briefing the CM said that the Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) for polio has launched a province-wide polio campaign from 28th February to 6 March 2022, as part of the national immunization days, to give oral polio drops to over almost 10 million children under 5-years of age across the province.

The campaign is conducted in all 30 districts of the province. She said that out of the targeted 9 million children, more than two million live in Karachi. A total of 70,000 polio workers with more than 10,000 supervisors will take part in this campaign, the CM was told.

Minister health said that since 2020 no new polio case has been detected in the province. The chief minister said that thanks to regular campaigns our province has not reported a single case of polio since July 2020 and environment samples have also been found negative across the province since July 2021 which is great news for the future of the children of Pakistan.

“If we continue with the same momentum, we will further see significant results, but we must not get complacent and continue the hard work,” he said and added “we understand that communities in the super high risk Union Councils for polio need other services and we are addressing this through new initiatives.” He added we have opened water filtration plants, experimental dispensaries, model EPI centers, mother, and child health facilities among other initiatives.

Murad Ali Shah said, while we deal with the pandemic, we must also deal with childhood immunization to prevent childhood diseases, the benefits of vaccination are clear as frequent campaigns have significantly reduced the burden of polio in the country. “I salute my polio workers who have worked in difficult conditions and ensured that children are safe from polio, it is because of their efforts that today there is no polio case in Sindh,” he said and added now we have to make sure it does not return,” he said.

The CM said that children could be saved from childhood diseases like polio through vaccination and he sought the media’s help to raise awareness for the purpose. Murad Shah said that the constant efforts in the polio programme have resulted in around 50 percent reduction in refusals and missed children but” we must bring them down further, especially in Karachi and must raise awareness around the benefits of vaccination.”

The Pakistan Pediatric Association, Pakistan Medical Islamic Medical Association, medical experts across the world, as well as prominent religious scholars in Pakistan, and across the region endorse the oral polio vaccine as the safest and most effective for not only preventing polio but also eradicating it from the environment.

Polio vaccine is the safest and most effective way to save your children from polio, please cooperate with the teams when they come to your doorstep. Remember polio has no cure but can be easily prevented through vaccination and we are sending workers to your doorsteps so please cooperate with them and help save the future of Pakistan and eradicate polio.

For more information, contact:
Press Secretary,
Chief Minister House, Sindh
Tel: +92-21-99202019 (Ext: 336)
Website: www.cmsindh.gov.pk