45,000 Polio Refusals Cases Reported in 2017

KARACHI - Sindh Government been facing multiple challenges of vaccinating all children because about 45,000 children were remained unvaccinated in the various campaigns launched in Karachi in 2017 wherein 129,000 others were also deprived from vaccination due to change residential addresses of their presents.

Sources at Sindh health department told that those parents, who refused vaccination, not only put their own children at risk but also posed threat to the immunised ones. The donor organizations and health experts   are concerned about refusal cases and want them to be covered to cope with the disease.

The experts believed that eradication of polio virus from Pakistan was not possible without eliminating the crippling diseases from Karachi but unfortunately a big number of children remain unvaccinated every year in the city due to poor coverage system, security issues and noncooperation of parents.

However, Eminent Pediatrician &   President Pakistan Pediatric Association,  Sindh, Prof Syed Jamal Raza , said that vaccines play a major role in eliminating and preventing diseases. He said without vaccines, epidemics of many preventable diseases could return, resulting in increased and unnecessary illness and disability.

He said refusals and unvaccinated children are poses serious threats to already vaccinated or healthy children therefore preventive measures have badly needed to save infants. He said vaccines are available free of cost at EPI centers so parents can get their children vaccinated from there to take protection from unnecessary suffering.

 First polio campaign of 2018 begin from Jan 22 in Karachi

The first polio drive in Karachi will begin from the January 22 and will continue till January 26, 2018 and will target approximately 2.3 million children.

About 12,000 teams will take part in the five-day campaign and approximately 5,000 police personnel will be providing security cover.

In 2017, a total eight polio cases were reported in Pakistan out of which two cases were from Karachi in Sindh.