The campaign targeting approximately 37.2 million under five children across Pakistan has been conducted successfully in all the provinces / areas. 166 districts have reported coverage data to the National EOC. Deputy Commissioners and Medical Officers led the major activity to ensure that not a single child is missed.
During the immunization campaign against polio, a total of 35.19 million (97%) children have been vaccinated. A total of 172,252 children (0.46%) were reported with Zero Routine dose during the campaign.
National Emergency Operation Centre monitored the campaign through federal field monitors and issued real time feedback to the provinces and areas. The LQAS and 3rd Party post campaign assessment have started and results will be available in about a week time.
National EOC Coordinator, Dr. Rana Muhammad Safdar said in the statement that these polio campaigns are of crucial significance as these will drive us to the final finish line of polio eradication therefore it is of dire importance to maintain the quality. Any missed child in the polio campaign is a potential threat to fail us in the efforts, he further stressed on covering the missed children in the campaign.
National EOC has planned five polio campaigns up to May 2017 to stop the poliovirus transmission across the country. Next year’s first nationwide campaign is scheduled to begin from January 16.
Pakistan continues to implement the National Emergency Action Plan for polio eradication, to urgently interrupt all remaining strains of polio transmission in the country. The majority of the polio cases during the last six months were reported from non-reservoir areas, i.e. from ‘tier 2, 3 and 4’ districts (districts which are considered to be more vulnerable to polio re-infection or spread). There have been no paralytic cases of wild poliovirus from the traditional polio reservoirs in Pakistan since February 2016.