Representative of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation calls on Commissioner Karachi

KARACHI, Jun 05 (APP):Commissioner Karachi, Syed Hasan Naqvi stated that the complete eradication of polio is the government’s top priority.

He said that all relevant institutions are working with a national spirit to eliminate polio.

He was meeting with Dr. Nahad Sadr Azodi, representative of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Washington, in his office here, said a spokesperson on Friday.

The meeting on Polio eradication took place between the Commissioner  Karachi Syed Hasan Naqvi and Representative of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Washington,

Dr. Nahad Sadr Azodi.

“We are moving towards the eradication of the polio virus,” said the Commissioner of Karachi.

The Commissioner apprised him of the anti-polio efforts in Karachi.

He said that in Karachi, the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) for Polio eradication in Sindh and the health department are making coordinated efforts to eradicate polio.

He further stated that Karachi had come close to eradicating polio several times.

Consultations were held between the representative of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Commissioner of Karachi regarding measures to strengthen routine immunization for the eradication of the polio virus.

The Commissioner said that to completely eradicate the polio virus in Karachi, attention has been directed toward routine immunization, which has aided efforts to eliminate the virus from the environment.

Positive results have emerged from these efforts: out of twelve sensitive union councils, analytical samples from ten union councils have turned negative.

This is a significant development that will assist in future planning, and it is hoped that the polio virus circulating in the environment will soon be eliminated.

He informed the representative of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Washington, that as a result of strengthening routine immunization, zero coverage has decreased by 15 percent.

He added that the Chief Minister of Sindh, the Chief Secretary of Sindh, and the Provincial Health Minister pay special attention to the polio cause.

They periodically hold briefing sessions with all Deputy Commissioners of Karachi and other officers of the Karachi administration to review the progress of the struggle, he added.

On this occasion, Dr. Ihsanullah Khan, representative of the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI), and Saud Yaqoob, Polio Coordinator for the Commissioner of Karachi, were also present.

The meeting reviewed various measures to strengthen routine immunization.

The meeting emphasized that the Deputy Commissioners of Karachi’s seven districts will play an effective role in the strategy to strengthen immunization.

The meeting also considered improving routine immunization at the divisional level.

The Commissioner thanked the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for their cooperation and collaboration in the fight against polio.