Emergency Operation Centre (EmOC) for polio eradication, Sindh here on Thursday confirmed two new polio cases, bringing the total number of the affected children to 24 in the province.
EmOC spokesman emphasizing that the two cases are not from the current but pertain to 2019, he said one of the affected male child (36 months) from union council Lalu Raunk, Kambar district.
He was said to have onset date of 14-12-2019 with weakness on both lower limbs and that according to his parents the child did receive oral polio vaccine but no routine immunization or IPV.
The other affected child, a 144 months old boy, with onset date being 22-12-2019, was tested for the polio virus after facing weakness in his facial muscles.
The spokesman said routine immunization coverage remains to be a major challenge that was further aggravated due to long gap in door to door campaigns last year. It was claimed that National EmOC and Sindh EmOC were trying to fight back and get polio eradication on track so as to reverse the trend.
A two-day polio vaccination campaign aimed at focused coverage of around 60,000 under five children previously deprived of the critically needed intervention against
the crippling disease in 34 sensitive districts of Karachi will begin on Friday.
The exercise is being taken on the directives of Chief Minister of Sindh, Syed Murad Ali Shah, with improved monitoring mechanism ensuring that the identified children may not miss the opportunity under any pretext, mainly refusals on part of their parents or community based resistance.
Commissioner of Karachi, Iftikhar A Shalwani chairing a meeting at his office here Thursday reviewed the arrangements for the targeted exercise and measures for taking on board the area influentials and heads of the families of the concerned children, numbering more than 60,000.
He expressed his satisfaction that members of provincial and national assemblies, along with opinion makers and religious scholars have also committed to be on ground to play their due roles in the cause linked to quality life of children of the
country.—APP
