Irked over two new cases, CM orders intensifying polio drive

Expressing his displeasure over the discovery of two new polio cases in Sindh, Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Monday directed the health department to intensify their efforts to eradicate the crippling disease and fulfil the government’s commitment to polio eradication.

During a meeting he chaired at the CM House to evaluate the progress of polio eradication initiatives, he was informed about the two recent polio cases detected: one in May and the other in June.

The first case involved a 30-month-old malnourished boy from the Jatoi tribe in the Lakhi area of Shikarpur, who tested positive for polio on May 11. Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal said the child’s condition is improving, and the paralysis has subsided.

Replying to a question, Emergency Operations Centre Coordinator Irshad Sodhar mentioned that the child had received three doses of RI OPV and two doses of IPV. Dr Azra highlighted that 73 per cent of the children in six union councils of Shikarpur had been administered IPV.

The second case involved a three-year-old girl from the Malkani tribe in Karachi’s UC-3 Keamari, who was diagnosed with polio on June 3. The affected child had received three doses of RI OPV, two doses of IPV, and over seven doses of SIAs.

Dr Azra mentioned that in response to this case, 18,000 children were vaccinated with OPV, and over 4,000 children received the IPV booster dose. Positive messages from local influencers and doctors were shared on social and mass media, and awareness campaigns were conducted in the affected areas.

The CM emphasised the need to sustain high-quality immunisation campaigns with minimal error in Karachi due to the significant risk posed by the amplification and spread of the polio virus. He also stressed the assessment of under-reported missed children and other risk factors, especially in migrant settlements.

Sodhar reported that a special targeted activity was initiated to cover high-risk and under-immunised children as directed by Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah.

Over 600 outreach sites were set up in 183 UCs to target children who were still missed, persistently missed, and zero-dose, along with administering the booster IPV dose. So far 38,920 children have been vaccinated with OPV and 18,710 have received IPV.

In response to a question, the CM was told that the polio virus was detected in the sewage collected in Karachi’s Sohrab Goth, Machhar Colony, Chakora Nala and Rashid Minhas areas in September 2023.

In June the environmental surveillance result of Machhar Colony and Chakora Nala came back negative. Khamiso Goth, Mohammad Khan Colony, Orangi Nala, Bakhtawar Goth, Korangi Nala, Haji Mureed Goth, Hijrat Colony and Manzoor Colony have positive environmental surveillance results.

The environmental surveillance results for various divisions in Sindh are as follows: Sukkur’s Saddar police station: positive; Hyderabad’s Tulsidas police station, Qadir Nagar police area and Latifabad police station: positive; Badin’s Muhammad Wali Dargah police station: positive; and Mirpurkhas’ Ring Road and Puraan areas: positive.

The CM directed the health department to ramp up efforts for polio eradication, including engaging key influencers and conducting awareness sessions at madrasas. He said that refusal of vaccination is not to be tolerated, and tasked the health department with fulfilling the government’s commitment to ridding Sindh of polio.

The meeting was also attended by Karachi Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab, Sindh police chief Ghulam Nabi Memon, Karachi Commissioner Hassan Naqvi, Local Government Secretary Khalid Hyder Shah, Health Secretary Rehan Baloch, Peoples Primary Healthcare Initiative CEO Javed Jagirani and Health Director General Dr Waqar.