Polio Update – Islamabad – October 11, 2024 Children nationwide remain at high risk from a terrible preventable disease as wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) has been found in sewage samples collected from Barkhan district in Balochistan and 10 previously infected districts.   

The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health has confirmed that WPV1 was found in environmental samples collected between 16 and 23 September from Barkhan, Gwadar, Dukki, Quetta, Kech, Mastung, Sibi, Karachi Korangi, Karachi South, Lahore and DI Khan.

So far this year 32 children have been affected by poliovirus and it has been found in 69 districts of all four provinces as well as one district of Azad Jammu Kashmir. Given the widespread prevalence of poliovirus, it is crucial for children across Pakistan to be fully vaccinated for polio and have their routine immunization completed.

To build immunity in children against polio, the Programme recently implemented a mass vaccination campaign in 115 districts during which nearly 33 million children under the age of five were vaccinated. The next nationwide campaign will begin on October 28 to vaccinate more than 45 million children in the country. We urge all parents and caregivers to ensure vaccination of all children in their care.

Polio is a devastating incurable disease that can leave a child paralyzed for life. Repeated vaccination with the oral polio vaccine is the best line of defense against this disease along with routine vaccination offered free of cost by the Expanded Programme on Immunization at government-run health facilities near you.

Note:

Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by poliovirus mainly affecting children under the age of five years. It invades the nervous system and can cause paralysis or even death. While there is no cure for polio, vaccination is the most effective way to protect children from this crippling disease. Each time a child under the age of five is vaccinated, their protection against the virus is increased. Repeated immunisations have protected millions of children from polio, allowing almost all countries in the world to become polio-free. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two remaining polio endemic countries globally.

For further information, please contact: Ms Hania Naeem, Communications Officer, NEOC,

Contact No:+923431101988

Email:  hanianaim17@gmail.com