Special immunisation drive to be held in four K-P districts

PESHAWAR:

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Health Department has decided to launch a special vaccination campaign in four districts of the province after a polio case was reported from North Waziristan tribal district.

The department is especially considering vaccination drive even before Eid.

“A polio case has been reported in a child in Mir Ali tehsil of North Waziristan which is genetically linked to Faisalabad,” said an official while talking to The Express Tribune. He said that a special vaccination drive will be held in four most vulnerable districts of Tank, Lakki Marwat, Bannu and North Waziristan this week.

“If the availability of vaccinators is found to be a problem due to Eid then on May 23 vaccination will be held to cover the shortcomings of the first drive,” he said, adding that monitoring has been increased.

The first case of polio has been reported in Pakistan after 15 months in the year 2022 wherein it is the third case reported from all over the world.

On April 22, 2022, the Pakistan National Polio Laboratory at the National Institutes of Health confirmed the polio case from North Waziristan. The Pakistan Polio Laboratory also confirmed the virus in environmental samples from Bannu on April 5. The last case was reported from Qila Abdullah Balochistan on January 27 last year.

Secretary Health National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Division, Amir Ashraf Khawjah said, “The reporting of the case is a matter of concern for children and it is undoubtedly a major blow to the efforts to eradicate polio in Pakistan and around the world.”

“We are disappointed with the reporting of the case but we are determined,” he said, adding that the case has been reported from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa where the virus was identified from environmental samples and emergency measures have already been taken in this connection.

Khawjah said that teams have been deployed at the national and provincial emergency operations centers. (With input from APP)

 

Published in The Express Tribune, April 25^th, 2022.