Dear Rotarians,
SNIDs 12 – 14’ March 2018: Although we do not have any case since last 4 months but positive environmental samples detected from three districts, one each from Karachi, D. I. Khan and Quetta put us on high alert.
It is imperative to keep the virus at bay if we are to eradicate this disease. Movement of transient population is the main cause of the virus in circulation. Children from across the Pak Afghan border entering into Pakistan are often unvaccinated and have been missed out, from security conflict zones. These are carriers of the polio virus and vulnerable children with poor immunity, malnutrition and poor sanitation become easy prey if the virus is in circulation.
Rotarians must be vigilant during March SNIDs. Monitoring and surveillance is extremely important for us in this low transmission months. Our opportunities lie in the maximum coverage of all children, increase in Routine Immunization and tracking the movement of children crossing inter provincial borders.
We must continue to work with polio teams and partners in getting the job done. This is our last chance. We have worked very hard to bring the numbers down. Let us strive for ‘zero’ case in 2018 and let us complete our mission of polio free Pakistan.
Fond regards,
Aziz Memon