LARKANA  -  Deputy Commissioner Larkana Dr Sharjeel Noor Channa chaired a meeting of the District EPI and Polio Eradication Committee at his office here Friday.

The meeting discussed pre­vious anti-Polio drive besides formulating the strategy for the next anti-Polio campaign to be started from April 29 to May 6.

The DC said that Polio was a crippling disease for which every child up to 5 years of age must be administered OPV against it. All arrangements should be com­pleted for the anti-Polio cam­paign so that no child is left non-vaccinated, he added.

He urged the officers of the Health Department, elected representatives, NGOs, teach­ers, scouts, students and social workers to play their role in ad­ministering the anti-Polio drops to children of age 5 years, during the campaign. He directed the officers of the District Health De­partment to make all-out efforts to eradicate Polio from the dis­trict. The DC gave strict instruc­tions to the officials of the Health Department to make the 7-day polio eradication campaign in Larkana district, a success and said that no child should be de­prived of vaccination during the anti-Polio campaign.

The officials of the health department Larkana gave a briefing to the DC about the preparations made in connec­tion with the polio campaign.

He also said that the Polio teams must go to the areas where the rainwater is still standing and special arrange­ments should be made for this. He said that wherever there are rain/flood-affected areas, children should be given Po­lio drops in any case. He said that Polio teams should be ap­pointed at the UC level and committees should be formed to monitor them and ensure the security of the Polio teams.

He further said that the EPI teams should cooperate with the district administration and some UCs secretaries who were not involved in the campaign during the previous campaign should be banned as well as organize awareness programs about the polio campaign after the exami­nations in schools.