Polio campaign concludes in 39 districts

As many as six million children vaccinated

ISLAMABAD:

A sub-national polio vaccination campaign concluded on Sunday in 39 districts of the country to vaccinate more than six million children under the age of five years.

The drive was started after sewage samples in Lahore tested positive for wild poliovirus last month.

The polio drive was conducted in nine districts, including the seven endemic districts of Bannu, DI Khan, Tank, Lakki Marwat, North Waziristan, Upper South Waziristan and Lower South Waziristan in southern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and two districts of Punjab, including Lahore and Faisalabad.

According to the national polio lab at the National Institute of Health, the first positive sample of 2023 was detected on Jan 19 and was genetically linked to the poliovirus found in the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan in November 2022. This was the first evidence of cross-border transmission in more than a year.

The second positive sample was reported on Jan 27, which was genetically linked to a virus circulating in south K-P. In a statement, Minister for National Health Services Abdul Qadir Patel said that parents and caregivers should ensure that their children are vaccinated in every campaign to protect them from the disability-causing virus and to stop it from gaining a foothold in their communities.

He said the presence of wild poliovirus with genetic links to the virus in Afghanistan and south K-P in sewage samples was evidence that the virus was moving with people and circulating in our communities.

The minister said, "Poliovirus on any side of the border is a threat to children in both countries. Only repeated doses of the oral polio vaccine can offer life-long protection."

He said, "Our vaccinators will keep bringing the vaccine to your doorstep as often as needed, so I encourage parents and caregivers to ensure that your children take these drops and remain protected." Coordinator of the National Emergency Operations Centre, Dr Shahzad Baig, said in the last phases of eradication of poliovirus move with under-immunised populations, highlighting the importance of repeated vaccination.

He said last year, 37 environmental samples were positive for wild poliovirus in 13 districts, but the programme remained successful in preventing circulation in the districts of detection and limiting it to the endemic districts of southern K-P.

Lahore district, which reported the positive samples, was already covered during the nationwide campaign in January.

The February round was the second round of response to the virus detection in Lahore, followed by another round in March.