Pakistan reported another case of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in Jacobabad district of Sindh, taking the total number of cases in the country to 64, health authorities said on Wednesday.
The new case reported in the district is the fourth case of the year, taking the number of cases in Sindh to 18.
Poliovirus cases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa also number 18 and 26 children affected in Balochistan. Islamabad and Punjab have reported one case each so far this year.
Pakistan’s Polio Eradication Program explained that polio is a “crippling” disease that has “no cure” and that “completion of routine vaccination for all children under five years of age” only provides them with “high immunity.” against this terrible disease.
Pakistan has taken strict measures to administer polio vaccines as the last vaccination drive of the year began on Monday with the aim of administering vaccines against the crippling disease to around 44,000,000 children across the country.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday announced the launch of an anti-polio campaign by administering drops to children in Islamabad.
Around 400,000 anti-polio workers in 143 districts of the country will visit every home to administer anti-polio drops to children under five years of age, according to the Prime Minister’s focal person for polio eradication, Ayesha Raza Farooq.
He asked parents to open their doors and fully cooperate with the anti-polio teams in this campaign.
Kicking off the immunization drive in Sindh, the provincial Health Department said on Monday that the seven-day anti-polio campaign will last till December 22, during which anti-polio drops will be administered to around 16 million children.
The health department said 80,000 frontline workers will go door-to-door to vaccinate children, while 15,000 security personnel will accompany them for their protection.
