'Polio-free Pak-Afghan future interlinked'

Focal person stresses vaccination of kids on the move

LAHORE:

The Punjab Chief Minister's Focal Person on Polio Uzma Kardar has said that Pakistan and Afghanistan's future as polio-free countries is interlinked.

During her first visit to the Punjab Emergency Operation Centre (EOC), she reiterated that until the situation improves in Afghanistan, Pakistan cannot eradicate the virus.

Polio eradication partners also participated in a meeting held on the occasion.

Punjab EOC Coordinator Khizer Afzaal briefed the focal person on the human resource, newly reported polio cases, challenges and measures taken to address them.

Afzaal said more than 200,000 polio workers participate in the national inoculation campaigns all over the province. He said the coverage of the campaigns had improved during the past year. "From 89 per cent coverage in the June 2023 campaign, the overall coverage has increased to 92% in the July 2024 outbreak response," he said.

The coordinator underscored that closure of schools had affected the quality of the campaigns.

Explaining the challenges, the said movement of population from historic reservoirs, including Afghianistan, towards Punjab may cause virus importation. As a response, the Punjab EOC has launched registration of migrant and transitory population so that all children are given polio vaccine.

He underlined that Punjab was developing plans to cover all missed children.