Ninth Poliovirus Case
The number of poliovirus cases in Pakistan has risen to nine with the latest case reported in Balochistan’s Zhob district.
This new poliovirus case was confirmed on Saturday, involving a one-and-a-half-year-old child from Zhob’s Union Council 2 in the Hassanzai urban area.
Dr. Malik Mukhtar Ahmad, the Coordinator to the Prime Minister on National Health Services, confirmed that nine children had been affected by poliovirus in the country this year.
In light of this, Ayesha Raza Farooq, the Prime Minister’s Focal Person on Polio, urged parents to ensure their children receive anti-polio doses.
She emphasized that multiple doses of the polio vaccine are the most effective way to prevent the disease.
Additionally, Muhammad Anwar Ul Haq, the Coordinator for the National Emergency Operations Center for Polio Eradication, stated that the government had conducted six anti-poliovirus drives this year. “Various strategies are being adopted to protect children from the disease,” he said.
Pakistan remains one of the few polio-endemic countries in the world. Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by poliovirus, primarily affecting children under the age of five who are malnourished and have weak immunity due to being under-vaccinated or not vaccinated for polio and other childhood diseases.
The illness invades the nervous system, causing paralysis or even death. While there is no cure for polio, vaccination is the most effective way to protect children from this crippling disease.
In an ongoing effort to combat poliovirus, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Bill Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), renewed their commitment to eradicating polio from Pakistan.
On June 24, Gates expressed his confidence that with sustained vaccination campaigns and the firm commitment of the Pakistani government, the polio eradication drive would get back on track. This follows a recent surge in environmental detections of the virus.
The Prime Minister outlined a robust and focused strategy to counter the increased threat of wild poliovirus infections and identified the actions needed to overcome the challenges to completely eradicate the disease from Pakistan.
He reiterated the government’s firm commitment to eradicating polio, emphasizing that all state resources would be employed to provide security for polio workers.
Despite the rigorous efforts towards the eradication of the paralyzing disease, the presence of nine poliovirus cases this year highlights the ongoing struggle.
The government’s comprehensive approach includes continuous vaccination drives, strategic planning, and collaboration with international partners to protect children from this preventable disease.
The commitment from global figures like Bill Gates underscores the international support for Pakistan’s mission to eliminate polio once and for all.
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