No polio case detected in Pakistan over last seven months: SAPM Dr Sultan

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on National Health Services Dr Faisal Sultan has said that no polio case has been detected in the country over the last seven months, Radio Pakistan reported.

Addressing an event in Islamabad on Friday, Sultan said this is an important milestone that will be taken forward. He said that the government's future campaigns will focus on high-risk areas in order to completely eradicate the disease from the country.

The SAPM mentioned that polio drops are completely safe, urging the parents to administer polio drops to their children.

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He appreciated the international organisations, including Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, for extending cooperation to Pakistan's in anti-polio campaigns.

Meanwhile, Administrator Karachi and Sindh government's spokesman Barrister Murtaza Wahab asked the citizens to make the ongoing campaign to eradicate polio a success and play their role in saving future generations from the disease.

"More than 2.3 million children will be vaccinated during the polio campaign and implementation of coronavirus SOPs will be ensured," he added.

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He said that the campaign will involve more than 23,000 polio workers who have been trained to implement COVID-19 SOPs. "Anti-polio is a national goal. Our children's future depends on it," said Administrator Karachi.

Earlier, Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed hope that Pakistan would soon become a polio-free country as only one case of the disease was reported in the country during the current year.

He expressed satisfaction over the sharp decline in new polio cases. Congratulating the provincial governments and the partners for the polio eradication campaign, he said the surfacing of a single case across the country this year was a great success.