KARACHI: Out of the 44,000 refusal casesfor polio vaccinationin the country, 34,000 cases were reported from Karachi, said Federal Minister for National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination Syed Mustafa Kamal on Sunday.

He mentioned that poliovirus had been reported in the environmental samples collected from the entire Karachi district.

The minister said that only district East of Karachi had 27,000 refusal cases for the vaccination polio out of the 34,000 cases.

He also said 15,000 refusals were reported from Urdu speaking parents and 10,000 from Pakhtun families in the city.

Tall(ing to media persons after chairing a meeting with the officials of anti-polio campaign and two MNAs from Karachi, he said the poliovirus did not have any treatment; there were only prevention measures to save children from it.

The eradication of poliovirus from environment was the responsibility of the authorities working at grassroots levels and his ministry issued guidelines and offered help in prevention methods across the country, he said.

The new phase of anti-polio campaign would commence from April 21 in thecountry, he said and urged the parents to get their children immunised against the poliovirus for the healthy and better future of their children.

Kamal said polio could be prevented through anti-polio vaccination. Refuting the perception of polio vaccination`s side or negative effects, he said it was totally safe.

He said Unicef purchased anti-polio vaccines and handed them over to the government.

The federal minister said that he was in contact with all provincial health ministers for the effective health-related resolutions.-APP