LARKANA, Sep 14 (APP):Commissioner Larkana Dr. Rasheed Khan has appreciated the Deputy Commissioners, District Health Officers and all concerned officials over the remarkable achievement of all environmental samples in Larkana Division testing negative after a long time. He was addressing a meeting of the Divisional Task Force (DTF) on Polio here on Monday. The Commissioner said that all concerned departments and officials must continue their efforts, particularly …
All Environmental Samples in Larkana Division Test Negative: Commissioner Larkana
LARKANA, Sep 14 (APP):Commissioner Larkana Dr. Rasheed Khan has appreciated the Deputy Commissioners, District Health Officers and all concerned officials over the remarkable achievement of all environmental samples in Larkana Division testing negative after a long time.
He was addressing a meeting of the Divisional Task Force (DTF) on Polio here on Monday.
The Commissioner said that all concerned departments and officials must continue their efforts, particularly in low-performing Union Councils (UCs).
He said that missed children, including not available children, refusal cases and zero-dose children, remained major challenges in achieving complete immunization coverage.
He directed that special attention be given to transit points and stressed the need for adequate police support for polio teams working at such locations.
He further made it clear that there would be no compromise on the implementation and quality of Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS).
Divisional Task Force Focal Person Dr. Aziz Ahmed informed the meeting that out of 30 Union Councils subjected to LQAS, only one UC had failed.
He said that most refusal cases had been covered during the campaign; however, the reasons behind refusals needed to be properly analyzed to address the issue effectively.
He further said that the number of low-performing UCs had decreased during the campaign, although the number of low-performing UCs in Jacobabad District remained high and required special attention.
Dr. Aziz Ahmed said that the campaign had a target of vaccinating 0.68 million children up to the age of 10 years. Independent monitors visited and monitored the campaign and appreciated its overall performance.
Highlighting the challenges, he said that some private schools were less cooperative, health facilities needed to ensure timely opening, and there were some minor issues related to cold-chain maintenance.
Addressing the meeting, DIG Larkana said that around 6,000 police personnel were being deployed for the campaign and all police officers had been sensitized regarding their responsibilities.
Dr. Ahmed said that the campaign was conducted qualitatively despite the presence of far-flung and hard-to-reach areas.
He added that 22 Union Councils were not included in the current campaign and greater attention would be given to them during the upcoming campaign.He further informed the meeting that PPHI had dedicated 200 personnel to support the polio campaign.
The meeting was attended through video link by Deputy Commissioner Shikarpur Shakeel Ahmed Abro and other concerned officials. It is worth mentioning that forthcoming SNID polio campaign will commence from 21 to 24 September 2026.
