Sukkur: An important meeting of the District Polio Eradication Committee, chaired by Deputy Commissioner (DC) Sukkur and Committee Chairman Nadir Shahzad Khan, was held at the DC Office committee room to review arrangements for the upcoming IPV booster dose campaign.
It was decided in the meeting that the Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) booster dose campaign will be conducted from August 6 to August 13 next month. The campaign will target 9 union councils in the Kacha areas of the district, where children from birth to 10 years of age will be administered the booster dose.
The meeting was attended by DHO Sukkur Dr. Ali Gul Shah, Additional Deputy Commissioner Tanveer Ahmed Khattak, AC New Sukkur Bushra Mansoor, AC Sukkur City Sarah Faraz, AC Rohri Ghulam Murtaza, AC Pano Aqil Urwat-ul-Wusqa, Dr. Waqar Ahmed, Dr. Tanveer Abbasi, along with officials from Health, Police, Education, Municipal, Information and other relevant departments, as well as representatives of social organizations.
Committee Focal Person Dr. Waqar Ahmed briefed the meeting that this booster dose campaign is an additional initiative, different from routine polio drives, and will be held for the first time in this manner. He clarified that under the routine campaign, children are given OPV drops, whereas the IPV booster dose will be administered through needle free jet injectors, which are completely safe. The solution is easily absorbed into skin cells and enters the body without causing any pain to children. He added that the IPV booster dose is highly effective.
Dr Waqar further informed that environmental samples for polio across Sindh, including Sukkur, tested negative until June this year, which is a welcome development and a sign of success. He said this booster campaign is a key step to sustain that success. He also briefed participants on the training of campaign teams, the selection process of team members, and other Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
Speaking on the occasion, DC Nadir Shahzad Khan directed health officials to give utmost importance to the pre campaign training phase. He instructed that staff required for the campaign be selected strictly on merit through interviews. He also said that relevant Assistant Commissioners should be taken on board during all phases and training processes.
The DC said the negative results of environmental samples in Sukkur and across Sindh are encouraging news, and the tireless efforts of all polio workers deserve appreciation. He added that the booster dose is being administered to maintain this momentum of success. He noted that the campaign has already been successfully launched in Karachi division, and from next month it will be rolled out simultaneously in Sukkur, Larkana and Shaheed Benazirabad divisions.
The meeting was also informed that following the August IPV booster campaign, the routine anti-polio campaign in Sukkur district and division will be held during September October.