Mass immunization campaigns, known as National Immunization Days (NIDs), would be started from today (Monday) to administer anti-polio drops along with the supplement of Vitamin A to over 2.3 million children up to five years of age in all 188 union councils in the metropolis during seven days.
More than 9000 polio teams will perform their duties in the campaign, it was decided in a meeting chaired by Commissioner Karachi Muhammad Sualeh Farooqui, at his office, said a statement on Sunday. Briefing about security arrangements it was told the meeting that foolproof security arrangements have been made to ensure the security of polio teams.
The meeting was attended among others by Municipal Commissioner KMC Dr Saifur Rehman, all Deputy Commissioners, all district and town health officers, officials of Police, Pakistan Rangers, Health Department, and Emergency Operation Centres (EOC).
The Commissioner stressed the need to work with the focus based strategies addressing issues specifically in all areas. He said that there is great need to work for improvement of micro plan and communication strategy. He asked the Deputy Commissioners to make all out efforts to make the campaign result oriented.
He urged the parents to cooperate with the polio teams to ensure their children are safe as vaccine, given to them multiple times, can protect them for life. The Commissioner also stressed the need that efforts should also be made to administer polio drops to school going children of up to five years of age.
It was informed to the meeting that the Education department's private school secretariat has instructed the concerned private schools to help the administration and cooperate with the polio teams in carrying out their duties for providing children the protection from the crippling decease.
It was decided in a meeting that awareness campaign of teachers as well as parents would be initiated with the support of school administrations in coordination with the Directorate of the Private Schools. He said that polio eradication was a national cause and it would be the top priority of city administration to carry out its efforts for the elimination of polio virus.