ISLAMABAD: The country has registered the 65th wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) case of 2024, Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme (PPEP) reported here on Tuesday.
According to PPEP, the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH) has confirmed the detection of the 65th WPV1 case from Qilla Abdullah. This is the seventh polio case from district Qilla Abdullah of Balochistan province this year. This year nine polio cases have been reported from DI Khan, three from Tank, four from Jacobabad, and one from Sukkur.
Pakistan is responding to the resurgence of WPV1 this year with 65 cases reported so far. Of these, 27 are from Balochistan, 18 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 18 from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
In December, the country has reported nine polio virus positive cases as on December 2, the NIH confirmed three cases of which one case each was reported from DI Khan, Karachi, Keamari and Kashmore. Similarly, on December 13, the NIH confirmed two polio virus cases from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) and two from Sindh. In KPK, one polio case each was detected from DI Khan and Tank districts, while in Sindh, one polio virus case was detected in District Jacobabad and one in district Sukkur on December 18 the lab confirmed the case from Jacobabad Sindh.
The Pakistan Polio Programme conducts multiple mass vaccination drives in a year, bringing the vaccine to children at their doorsteps, while the Expanded Programme on Immunization provides vaccinations against 12 childhood disease free of charge at health facilities. It is crucial for parents to ensure vaccination for all their children under the age of five to keep them protected.
The December sub-national polio vaccination campaign in Balochistan province is scheduled to begin on December 30, during which, all 36 districts of the province will be targeted for vaccination. To keep children safe, it is critical for parents to welcome vaccinators among them and bring their children forward for vaccination.
A large-scale polio vaccination campaign has recently concluded countrywide from December 16 to December 22 during which vaccinators reached house to house to immunise more than 44 million children under five in 143 districts against polio. It is critical for parents and caregivers to ensure that their children under the age of five receive two drops of the oral polio vaccine whenever a vaccinator knocks on their door to protect children against polio’s paralysing effects.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024