M. Waqar Bhatti
Islamabad: Wild poliovirus has paralyzed two more children in Pakistan, one in Tank district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the other in Kashmore district of Sindh, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 67 this year, Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH) confirmed on Thursday.
The lab confirmed the two cases on Thursday, December 26. The child in Tank represents the fourth polio case in the district this year, while the Kashmore case marks the second in the district.
Pakistan is struggling with a resurgence of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) this year, with the 67 cases comprising 27 from Balochistan, 19 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 19 from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
Polio, a paralyzing disease with no cure, can only be prevented through multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine (OPV) and the completion of routine immunization schedules.
Health authorities have urged parents to ensure their children under the age of five receive vaccinations to provide them with high immunity against the disease.
Efforts to curb polio have included nationwide vaccination campaigns, with the most recent sub-national drive conducted last week in Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Islamabad. Over 42 million children were vaccinated during the campaign.
The second phase of the campaign is scheduled to begin on December 30 in Balochistan province, targeting all 36 districts.
Health officials have emphasized the importance of community cooperation, urging parents to welcome vaccinators and bring their children forward for vaccination to eliminate the risk of paralysis from polio.
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