A forum, Thursday, was informed that out of 32 poliovirus cases reported in the country, over 78 percent poliovirus positive children either didn’t receive any routine vaccination or missed vaccine dose during house-to-house drive this year.
This was stated by Dr Mukhtar Ahmad Bharath, the Prime Minister’s Coordinator on National Health Services and Regulation here, while chairing a high-level meeting convened to review the progress in the wake of recent polio cases reported from different provinces. The meeting, besides others was attended by Federal Secretary Health Nadeem Mehboob, the National and Provincial Coordinators of the Polio Programme, as well as the representatives from international organisations.
The participants were informed that 20 children either did not receive routine vaccination and five more children missed vaccination dose during house-to-house drive this year, therefore, a comprehensive strategy was needed to address the serious health issue which the ministry in collaboration with other partners has devised to arrest the current polio outbreak, Dr Bharath said.
Dr Bharath also noticed that children who missed vaccinations all together are experiencing severe disease manifestations. Conversely, children receiving inadequate doses of the vaccine still remain susceptible to the virus, albeit with much milder illness. Drawing from evidence, Dr Bharath urged provincial health departments for intense focus on strengthening routine immunisation. Stressing parental responsibilities, he further stressed all parents to fulfil their religious obligations to protect their children against all vaccine preventable diseases including polio ensuring their up-to-date essential immunisation besides vaccinating them in every door-to-door campaign planned by the programme.
He said that the epidemiology is worrisome; the country programme was rightly placed to reverse the current virus tide through effective implementation of consensus strategy devised by the federal and provincial governments along with all stakeholders.
The forum conducted a thorough review of the current polio situation and efforts being undertaken to halt the intense outbreak resulting in 32 polio cases and 68 districts having evidence of wild polio virus presence during 2024 so far. Pertinent to note that after getting closest ever to eradication in 2021 and no polio case for almost 15 months, the virus sparked back in South KP with 20 cases in 2022. However, after reintroduction of virus from across the border, the surge starting in 2023 has continued unabated spreading geographically in Pakistan and similar developments across the border in Afghanistan.
Following an overview of the current risk by the National Coordinator and update on the progress on 2-4-6 strategy, the provincial coordinators briefed the forum on measures being undertaken to protect the vulnerable children from devastation of the paralysing virus alongside challenges being faced on ground.
As of this year, 2024, a total of 32 polio cases have been reported in Pakistan. Among these, 16 cases were reported from Balochistan, 10 from Sindh, four from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and one case each from Punjab and Islamabad.
Dr Bharath further expressed his confidence on the very capable team and stood reassured by the fact that the country currently had one of the best surveillance systems globally, detecting the polio virus even in children with mild weaknesses.
The federal and provincial governments have jointly formulated a comprehensive and effective strategy to reverse the current virological trends by end of 2024 and therein, hunt the virus in its late hideouts to interrupt transmission next year, Dr Bharath stated.
Besides complementary activities under integrated service delivery in select pockets, the strategy includes delivering three high quality vaccination campaigns during September-December aimed at plugging the widespread immunity gap and halting further virus transmission. (Business Recorder)