PESHAWAR: Pakistan’s anti-polio program said on Saturday the country had reported three more cases of polio virus, including the first in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, that took the nationwide tally to 21 this year, with officials urging parents to have their children vaccinated.
The three new cases were reported from the Killa Abdullah district in Balochistan, Keamari district in Sindh, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Mohmand tribal district, according to a regional reference laboratory for polio eradication at the National Institute of Health in Islamabad.
Expressing alarm at the escalating number of children affected by the crippling disease, Ayesha Raza Farooq, the prime minister’s focal person for polio eradication, reiterated the government’s resolve to put polio eradication efforts back on track and appealed to parents to be responsible citizens.
“It is heartbreaking to witness these new cases, especially in areas where the virus continues to silently spread,” she said in a statement. “Every new case is a new child whose life will forever be affected by a tragic disease for which there is a simple solution through vaccination.”
In the first case of this year in KP, health authorities detected the virus in a 9-month-old girl in the Mohmand tribal district, according to the Provincial Emergency Operations Center [EOC] for Polio.
“Initial investigations revealed that the child had received zero doses of routine immunizations and was only given polio drops twice in the last four campaigns,” Abdul Basit, special secretary for health in KP, said in a statement.
KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur ordered an inquiry into the matter and directed the health secretary to immediately suspend the Mohmand district health officer and polio coordinator.
“All other responsible individuals for the poor polio campaign in District Mohmand must also be identified.” Gandapur said in a statement. “Action should also be taken against the staff of partner institutions along with the relevant government officials.”
To combat the alarming situation, the federal government has updated its National Polio Eradication Emergency Operations Plan to get to zero cases, according to the country’s polio program. Priority focus is to address the critical gaps in campaign quality, including access, migrant mobile populations, vaccine acceptance and service delivery for the upcoming campaigns in 2024.
“Before the end of the year, Pakistan will implement two large-scale, house-to-house campaigns which remain crucial to closing the current immunity gaps and reversing the spread of the virus,” it said.
National Coordinator for Polio Emergency Operations Center Anwarul Haq said the fresh cases were a “stark reminder” of the critical importance of vaccination.
“Every new child affected by polio is a stark reminder of the gaps in the walls of immunity,” he said. “The fact that too many children are still missing their opportunity of vaccination through campaigns and through their routine immunization is the responsibility of us all.”
He appealed to parents and caregivers about the importance of leaving no child behind when polio vaccinators knock on their doors.
Officials urge vaccination as Pakistan polio cases tally reaches 21 this year
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Officials urge vaccination as Pakistan polio cases tally reaches 21 this year
- A 9-month-old girl was infected by the virus in Mohmand district in first case of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province this year
- South Asian neighbors Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries in the world where polio remains an endemic