K-P mulls declaring polio ‘notifiable disease’

PESHAWAR: The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government is planning to declare polio a ‘notifiable disease’, health authorities informed The Express Tribune on Thursday.

A notifiable disease is one that is required by law to be reported to government authorities. This way, data collection allows the authorities not only to monitor the disease, but provide early warning in case of a possible outbreak.

The government has already declared tuberculosis (TB) as the province’s first ‘notifiable disease’.

There is, however, a slight difference: the health ministry tabled a bill in the provincial legislature for TB, but reporting of polio incidence would be voluntary. The health ministry is planning to take doctors onboard for this cause.

According to health department officials, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) surveillance system is already in place, but the provincial government is planning to set up its own surveillance network so that advanced flaccid paralysis cases are not just identified, but reported in a timely manner.

“I wonder why no other province thought of this … Once we know for sure, we will be able to carry out effective anti-polio campaigns,” a senior health official told The Express Tribune on condition of anonymity, adding that this was part of the government strategy to eliminate the virus.

The official explained not every case of advanced flaccid paralysis was a polio virus case. “Polio detection is confirmed by the National Institute of Health in Islamabad,” adding that doctors routinely encountered children suffering paralysis.

The idea was discussed during a meeting with WHO representative Dr Jean Marc Olive on Thursday. The meeting was attended, among others, by Christopher John Morry, provincial Minister for Health Shahram Khan Tarakai and Secretary Health Abid Majeed.

Dr Olive appreciated the provincial government’s efforts but identified challenges blocking the way to eliminate the virus. “The government needs to adjust its plans for migrating population as well,” he said.

He said that moving population made it difficult to identify all polio cases.

“A few unvaccinated families are enough for sustained transmission of polio virus,” Dr Olive told The Express Tribune.

He stated it was not possible to terminate the virus by the end of this year, but the task could be achieved by May-June next year, adding that similar efforts were also needed in Afghanistan for complete elimination of the virus from this region.

Pledging the provincial government’s support to eradicate polio virus, Tarakai said that the government and the PTI leadership was extending all-out support in this regard.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 25^th, 2016.