A new case of poliovirus has emerged in the Ghora Bakka Khel union council of Bannu district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, bringing the total number of cases reported in Pakistan this year to three.
The most recent case involves a one-and-a-half-year-old girl who has been affected by the virus, as confirmed by officials.
All three cases reported this year have affected children residing in Bannu district, where environmental samples have once again detected the presence of the poliovirus. To date, at least 34 environmental samples have tested positive for the virus in Pakistan.
Earlier this week, the government launched a seven-day anti-polio campaign across the country, targeting more than 40 million children to receive the anti-polio vaccine along with a supplementary dose of vitamin A.
Caretaker Minister for Health Services Dr Nadeem Jan has urged parents to fully cooperate with vaccination teams and ensure that their children are immunized.
In Punjab, the polio immunization campaign will continue for seven days, while in other districts, the vaccine will be administered on consecutive days. Caretaker Punjab Minister for Primary and Secondary Healthcare Dr Jamal Nasir stated that during the campaign, 212 million children will be vaccinated, with the participation of 204,000 polio workers.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), the campaign is being carried out in five divisions—Peshawar, Malakand, Hazara, Mardan, and Kohat. More than seven million children up to five years of age are being inoculated during this phase. The second phase of the anti-polio drive will begin in Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan divisions next Monday.
Chairing a meeting of the National Task Force for the eradication of polio, caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar called upon all sections of society to play a role in completely eliminating the poliovirus from the country.
Kakar directed relevant authorities to engage religious scholars, teachers, parents, and other stakeholders in the polio awareness campaign. He also emphasized the need for ensuring the security of polio workers during the vaccination campaign.
Expressing satisfaction over the significant drop in polio cases in the country, Kakar expressed optimism that the nation would soon celebrate a day when every child in Pakistan would be safe from this disease.
Acknowledging the reports of poliovirus in three districts, he directed a special anti-polio campaign in areas where the virus has been reported.
The interim Prime Minister expressed gratitude to international partners for their active participation and crucial support in Pakistan’s National Polio Programme. During the meeting, it was highlighted that compared to the 20 cases reported in the country last year, only two cases have been reported this year, mainly due to the continued national-level anti-polio campaigns.
