Akhtar Shaheen Rind
KARACHI: Provincial Minister of Sindh for Health and Population, Dr. Azra Fazal Pechuho launched the Sub-National Immunization Days (SNIDs) campaign by administrating vaccination drops to children in Karachi. Over 42000 health workers will vaccinate 6.2 million children in 17 districts of Sindh, starting from Monday.
“I urge all parents and caregivers to ensure the vaccination of eligible children during the campaign to protect them from the debilitating disease. Polio is incurable, and vaccines can protect our children,” said the Minister.
The Minister extends her sincere thanks and appreciation to the Global Polio Eradication partners, especially, WHO, UNICEF and BMGF, for their continuous support of polio eradication. Expressing the government’s commitment to eradicating polio from the country, the Minister said, “Working as a team, we can succeed in protecting our children from vaccine-preventable diseases. Please open your door to the vaccinators, as vaccines will protect your children.”
Speaking at the event, Dr. Shahzad Baig, Coordinator of the National Emergency Operations Center, said “Polio health workers are playing a vital role in keeping our children safe from the debilitating effects of poliovirus. Despite facing many challenges, they have tirelessly worked towards eradicating poliovirus from our country. I encourage all parents and caregivers to welcome the health workers when they knock at your door.”
Expressing the programme’s commitment to eradicating polio from the country, Fayaz Abbasi, Coordinator Provincial Emergency Operations Centre, said, “Let’s play our part to protect our children from vaccine-preventable disease. I urge all parents and caregivers to get their children vaccinated during all vaccination drives, rather than hiding them or refusing to take the necessary drops. It is essential to realise that the polio virus still exists in our surroundings, and no child is safe until all children are truly vaccinated”.
The Sehat Tahhafuz Helpline 1166 and 24/7 WhatsApp Helpline 0346-777-65-46 will be available to assist parents and caregivers in reporting missed children. Repeated polio vaccination campaigns are imperative for building immunity among children and preventing lifelong paralysis.
Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus mainly affects children under the age of five. It invades the nervous system and can cause paralysis or even death. While there is no cure for polio, vaccination is the only effective way to protect our children from the crippling disease.
Every time children under the age of five get the polio vaccine, they are more protected. Such repeated immunizations have protected millions of children from polio and made most of the countries around the world polio free.
