Polio Update – Islamabad – Two new districts from Punjab and 10 other previously infected districts have reported wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in sewage samples, highlighting the intensity of the spread of poliovirus this year and the urgency for children to be fully immunized against polio.   

The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health has notified that the viruses were found in environmental samples collected between 12 – 21 August from Sahiwal, Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalpur, Lahore, Dera Ghazi Khan, Usta Muhammad, Quetta, Dera Bugti, Killa Saifullah, Mirpur Khas, Karachi East and Islamabad districts.

Pakistan is facing an intense outbreak of WPV1 this year, with 17 children affected and 66 districts testing positive for the virus in all four provinces and one district of AJK. Because of extensive spread of the virus, it is crucial for children across Pakistan to be fully vaccinated for polio and routine immunization.

The Polio Programme is implementing a critical large-scale polio vaccination campaign from September 9 onwards during which vaccinators are going house to house in 115 districts, bringing the crucial polio vaccine to more than 33 million children under the age of five.

We urge parents, grandparents, community elders, teachers and communities to take collective responsibility for the wellbeing of all children in their care and ensure that they are vaccinated against polio at every opportunity.

Polio is a devastating incurable disease that can leave a child paralyzed for life. Repeated vaccination with the oral polio vaccine is the best line of defense against this disease along with routine vaccination offered free of cost by the Expanded Programme on Immunization at government-run health facilities.

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. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two remaining polio endemic countries globally.

For further information, please contact: Ms Hania Naeem, Communications Officer, NEOC,

Contact No:+923431101988

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