Peshawar polio cases cause anxiety
PM briefed that 13 cases reported from K-P so far this year
Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif chairing a meeting of the National Task force on Polio Eradication. PHOTO: NNI
ISLAMABAD:
For Pakistan, the persistent transmission of polio virus in Peshawar and Khyber Agency is a major concern in its fight against the crippling disease at the moment.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was on Thursday briefed about efforts being made to eliminate polio at the National Task Force Meeting on Polio Eradication.
He was informed that 13 polio cases had so far been confirmed this year in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Eight of these had been reported from Peshawar alone while five were reported from Khyber Agency.
The meeting was attended by PM’s Focal Person on Polio Eradication Senator Ayesha Raza Farooq and chief ministers of all four provinces. Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir, Chief Minister Gilgit-Baltistan and Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal were also present.
National Emergency Operation Centre’s Coordinator Dr Rana Safdar said that K-P chief minister and FATA representatives were asked to strengthen their coordination efforts.
Meanwhile Pakistan Army was asked to help polio teams where they are facing issues in accessing children in FATA, he said. Dr Safdar said so far 400,000-500,000 children living across the country are continuously being missed in anti-polio drives.
He said that this year Punjab has not yet reported any polio case. However in Rawalpindi, Multan and Lahore the re-emergence of polio virus in the sewerage water is also a major concern. Therefore the Punjab CM was directed to focus on the mobile population and effectively implement transit strategy for vaccinating every child crossing provincial borders.
CM Balochistan was asked to ensure that anti-polio drives should be carried out timely without any delay.
“This year our focus is on children who are being continuously missed in the anti-polio drives,” said Dr Safdar.
The PM lauded the major success achieved in bringing down polio cases from 306 last year to 32 so far this year. There was a sharp reduction in presence of poliovirus in sewage samples taken from all over the country.
The meeting was informed of the total 282 million children cumulatively targeted in campaigns for 2014 and half of 2015, about 267 million children (95%) have been vaccinated.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 11th, 2015.
For Pakistan, the persistent transmission of polio virus in Peshawar and Khyber Agency is a major concern in its fight against the crippling disease at the moment.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was on Thursday briefed about efforts being made to eliminate polio at the National Task Force Meeting on Polio Eradication.
He was informed that 13 polio cases had so far been confirmed this year in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Eight of these had been reported from Peshawar alone while five were reported from Khyber Agency.
The meeting was attended by PM’s Focal Person on Polio Eradication Senator Ayesha Raza Farooq and chief ministers of all four provinces. Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir, Chief Minister Gilgit-Baltistan and Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal were also present.
National Emergency Operation Centre’s Coordinator Dr Rana Safdar said that K-P chief minister and FATA representatives were asked to strengthen their coordination efforts.
Meanwhile Pakistan Army was asked to help polio teams where they are facing issues in accessing children in FATA, he said. Dr Safdar said so far 400,000-500,000 children living across the country are continuously being missed in anti-polio drives.
He said that this year Punjab has not yet reported any polio case. However in Rawalpindi, Multan and Lahore the re-emergence of polio virus in the sewerage water is also a major concern. Therefore the Punjab CM was directed to focus on the mobile population and effectively implement transit strategy for vaccinating every child crossing provincial borders.
CM Balochistan was asked to ensure that anti-polio drives should be carried out timely without any delay.
“This year our focus is on children who are being continuously missed in the anti-polio drives,” said Dr Safdar.
The PM lauded the major success achieved in bringing down polio cases from 306 last year to 32 so far this year. There was a sharp reduction in presence of poliovirus in sewage samples taken from all over the country.
The meeting was informed of the total 282 million children cumulatively targeted in campaigns for 2014 and half of 2015, about 267 million children (95%) have been vaccinated.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 11th, 2015.