Pakistan reported another case of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in Sindh district of Jakobambad, taking the total number of cases in the country to 64, health authorities said on Wednesday.
The new case reported in the district is the fourth of the year, taking Sindh’s tally to 18.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa polio cases also amount to 18 to 26 children being affected in Balochistan. Islamabad and Punjab have each reported one case so far this year.
Pakistan’s polio eradication program explained that polio is a “crippling” disease with no “cure” and “completion of routine vaccination for all children under the age of five” simply gives them “high immunity against this terrible disease”.
Pakistan has taken strict measures to administer polio vaccines as the last national vaccination campaign of the year began on Monday with the aim of vaccinating about 44,000,000 children across the country against the crippling disease.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday announced the start of the polio drive by administering drops to children in Islamabad.
About 400,000 polio workers in 143 districts of the country will visit every household to administer polio drops to children under the age of five, according to Prime Minister’s Focal Person on Polio Eradication Ayesha Raza Farooq.
He asked the parents to open their doors and fully cooperate with the polio groups in this campaign.
Kicking off the vaccination initiative in Sindh, the provincial health department on Monday said the seven-day anti-polio campaign will continue till December 22, during which around 16 million children will receive anti-polio drops.
The health ministry said 80,000 frontline workers will go door-to-door to vaccinate children, while 15,000 security personnel will accompany them to protect them.
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