Islamabad – June 5, 2024 - Sewage samples collected from two new districts, Dukki and Kila Saifullah, and three already infected districts have tested positive for wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1).
The Regional Reference Lab for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health has notified that 05 environmental samples collected from May 20 to May 21 from Swabi, Sibi, Dukki, Kila Saifullah and Lasbela contained WPV1.
The detections from two new districts bring the total count of infected districts for the year 2024 to 44.
The Pakistan Polio Programme is implementing an intense vaccination schedule this year to curb the spread of the virus. The Programme has already conducted four polio vaccination campaigns and is currently conducting the fifth campaign of the year, which is underway in 69 districts since June 3, ahead of the high-travel season of Eid, to vaccinate over 17.1 million children under the age of five in 37 districts as well as select areas of 32 other districts.
Polio is a devastating incurable disease that can leave a child paralyzed for life. The Pakistan Polio Programme urges all parents and caregivers to ensure that their children are vaccinated against it at every opportunity and have completed all routine vaccinations to protect them from 12 vaccine-preventable childhood diseases.
Post updated on June 06, 2024, to add the environmental sample of Lasbela district.
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, except for the two endemic countries of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
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