Poliovirus detection rings alarm in Rawalpindi

Authorities schedule another vaccination drive for October

RAWALPINDI:

The polio virus has been detected in Rawalpindi, with lab tests confirming its presence in water samples taken from the Nullah Leh and other rainstorm drains.

This has raised alarm within the district administration, which had earlier celebrated the district's polio-free status. Both the commissioner and deputy commissioner had declared Rawalpindi free of polio this year.

The confirmation of the virus by the World Health Organisation under the United Nations has caused further concern, prompting the approval of another anti-polio campaign to be launched in October. The Punjab Health Department has expressed serious concerns over these positive environmental samples and has questioned the performance of the teams involved in the anti-polio campaign.

Orders have been issued to dismiss members of polio teams who are underperforming.

Khizr Iqbal, head of the anti-polio program in Punjab, confirmed the detection of the polio virus in Rawalpindi during a meeting held on Friday. He emphasised that not only Rawalpindi but also Lahore and Chakwal, require increased efforts to combat the virus. He pointed to oversights in the micro plans as a reason for polio teams missing children during vaccination campaigns. He stressed that no compromise will be made on errors in the micro plans, and workers found responsible for negligence will be dismissed.

Iqbal directed all districts to immediately update data on children who missed vaccination and noted that the reduction in unvaccinated children is a positive sign. He also urged district administrations to improve their plans for the next campaign. He called for a detailed review of union councils with low vaccination coverage and emphasized the importance of accurate and timely data collection, particularly from flood-affected areas. The improvement or decline in vaccination rates, he said, is closely linked to the training of polio teams.