Polio vaccine drops are administered to a child at a civil dispensary. Photo: Reuters
Another case of polio
was reported in North Waziristan, bringing the number of cases in the area to twelve.
The southern and northern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been declared sensitive to the virus.
According to the Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme’s assessment, KP has 18 high-risk union councils which are comprised of dense, underserved population groups with poor levels of immunization against polio.
“The current government will not rest until the polio virus has been eradicated completely,” Federal Health Minister, Abdul Qadir Patel, said in a statement.
He added that a coordinated and effective strategy has been formulated for the eradication of polio. He also urged all parents to be aware of the situation and to get their children as quickly as possible.
Earlier, the KP’s EOS had confirmed that families had not immunized their children against the virus during the anti-polio campaigns and had used fake finger markings with the help of volunteer polio workers.
Pakistan had enjoyed fifteen virus-free months after the last case was detected in Balochistan’s Killa Abdullah in January 2021, which was the only case of polio in that year.
In April 2022, the first case of polio rang alarm bells as it set back Pakistan’s goal to eradicate the virus from the country.
The government responded by conducting a five-day nationwide anti-polio drive, with the aim of vaccinating over 43.3 million children.
While at the beginning of June, the deadly virus paralyzed a 20-month-old child, bringing the number up to eight in the province.