ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday launched a nationwide anti-polio vaccination drive that aims to inoculate 12.6 million children, amid an outbreak of the virus in a northwestern district bordering Afghanistan.
Pakistan has so far reported 11 polio cases in North Waziristan, a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, where parents often refuse to get their children inoculated.
The outbreak, after the first polio case of 2022 was registered in the same region in April, is a blow to the South Asian nation’s efforts to eradicate the disease, which can cause severe paralysis in children.
On Sunday, Dr. Shahzad Baig, coordinator of the Emergency Operation Center (EOC) for Polio, said the vaccination campaign required deep attention and utmost responsibility to completely eradicate the polio virus from the country.
“Our aim is to ensure timely and repeated vaccination of eligible children. High risk districts are our top priority, and we are keen to eliminate the polio virus from the challenging areas while protecting the rest of the region as well,” he said in a statement.
“I particularly urge all parents and caregivers to get their children vaccinated instead of hiding them or refusing to take the necessary drops during all vaccination drives. It is important to realize that the polio virus still exists in our surroundings and no child is safe until all children are truly vaccinated.”
The campaign will cover 25 “very high-risk districts” across Pakistan with the help of over 100,000 trained and dedicated vaccinators and staff.
Pakistan has for the past 25 years carried out regular inoculation campaigns in which health workers go door-to-door to give polio drops to children. So far this year, the government has carried out three nationwide anti-polio drives — in January, March and in May.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only countries in the world where polio remains endemic. In 2021, Pakistan reported only one case, raising hopes it was close to eradicating polio.