- The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health has confirmed the detection of four wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases in Pakistan, bringing the number of total cases in the country this year to 63.
- On Friday, December 13, the lab confirmed one polio case each from DI Khan, Tank, and Jacobabad, where female children are affected, and Sukkur, where a male child is affected.
- This is the ninth polio case from DI Khan, third from Tank, third from Jacobabad, and first from Sukkur this year.
- Pakistan is responding to an intense resurgence of WPV1 this year with 63 cases reported so far. Of these, 26 are from Balochistan, 18 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 17 from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
- Polio is a paralyzing disease that has no cure. Multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and completion of the routine vaccination schedule for all children under the age of five is essential to provide children high immunity against this terrible disease.
- The Pakistan Polio Program conducts multiple mass vaccination drives in a year, bringing the vaccine to children at their doorsteps, while the Expanded Programme on Immunization provides vaccinations against 12 childhood disease free of charge at health facilities. It is crucial for parents to ensure vaccination for all their children under the age of five to keep them protected.
- A large-scale polio vaccination campaign is being held in the country from December 16 to December 22 during which vaccinators will go house to house to immunize more than 44 million children under five in 143 districts against polio. To keep children safe, it is critical for parents to welcome vaccinators among them and bring their children forward for vaccination.
Warning: Undefined variable $active in /home/1088668.cloudwaysapps.com/jspbsyyjzc/public_html/templates/shaper_helixultimate/html/com_content/article/default.php on line 269