Injectable polio vaccine launched in Pakistan

Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation funds supply till 2017

ISLAMABAD: The federal health ministry in collaboration with its international donor agencies on Thursday has introduced injectable polio vaccine (IPV) in its routine immunisation programme across the country to continue its fight against the crippling disease.

According to the WHO more than four million children in Pakistan will benefit from IPV every year.

The introduction of IPV in the Expanded Programme on Immunisation is the part of the Polio Eradication and Endgame Strategic Plan 2013–2018-- a comprehensive long-term strategy developed by Global Polio Eradication Initiative to address what is needed to deliver a polio-free world by 2018.

Read: Despite improvement in vaccination, threat of polio export from Pakistan remains: WHO

Sharing the details with The Express Tribune, Dr Rana Safdar, in-charge of the National Emergency Operation Cell for Polio said that in April 2014, Pakistan submitted a formal application to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) requesting for financial support for the introduction of IPV. “GAVI has provided a package which includes vaccine, syringes and equipment to maintain cold chain among other essential things for two years till July 2017,” he said.

Minister of State for National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination Saira Afzal Tarar, while addressing the launching ceremony of the vaccine, termed it a landmark in anti-polio effort.

“Introduction of IPV is a major landmark as it would strengthen our efforts to fight polio and eventually eradicate it from our country and the world,” the state minister said, according to a press release.

The chief executive of GAVI Dr Seth Berkley was optimistic about headway in polio control. The first half of 2015 marks the lowest number of polio cases ever, he said.

Read: The persistence of polio

Pakistan has made significant progress in the fight against polio with a 75% reduction in the number of cases reported during the first half of 2015 as compared with the same period last year coming down to 29 from 115 incidents of reported poliovirus attack.

However, the country still accounts for more than 80% of cases worldwide so far this year, and many children in high-risk areas of the country remain unimmunised  or under-immunised.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 21^st, 2015.