ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has reported six polio virus cases during past two and a half months, Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme (PPEP) said.
In a briefing to the newly-appointed Federal Minister for Health Syed Mustafa Kamal during his visit to the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) for Polio, the Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication, Ayesha Raza Farooq, informed the minister that the country last year reported 74 polio cases.
Out of a total of 74 cases that were reported in 2024,27 were from Balochistan, 23 from Sindh, 22 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad, the minister was informed.
The polio programme is implementing a rigorous vaccination schedule to protect children from paralytic polio and interrupt virus transmission.
The first nationwide polio campaign of 2025 reached over 45 million children with the vaccine earlier this month, while a fIPV-OPV campaign in Quetta Division and Karachi was held between 20 and 28 February vaccinating around 0.9 million children with the injectable and oral polio vaccines for an added immunity boost. This campaign is aligned with the Big Catch-Up also being implemented nationwide by the Expanded Programme on Immunization to immunise missed or under-vaccinated children against 12 preventable childhood diseases.
Moreover, a targeted vaccination activity in 104 union councils bordering Afghanistan or having Afghan refugee camps/populations was also held this week to reduce the risk of cross-border and internal poliovirus transmission, vaccinating over 0.6 million children.
During the briefing, it was highlighted that a comprehensive strategy has been devised in collaboration with the provinces to eliminate polio. All necessary measures are being taken to curb the spread of the virus.
Emphasising the urgency of polio eradication, Minister Kamal stated, “Ending polio is our national responsibility, and we will accelerate our efforts to protect children from lifelong disability.” He stressed the need for national unity and collective action to ensure the success of this mission.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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