A three-day anti-polio campaign has been launched in five districts Khyber Pakhtunkwa to safeguard children in the areas bordering Diamer in Gilgit-Baltistan, which recorded in March the first polio case after 2009.
Sources in these districts said that the drive was aimed at protecting local children from polio virus after the case was recorded in Gilgit-Baltistan as it meant that the virus was in circulation and may infect people if they were left unvaccinated.
Simultaneously, environmental sample taken from sewerage water in Peshawar in March this year has emerged negative for polio virus after being tested positive for six months consecutively.
One of the sites, from where water samples were collected on monthly basis, gets sewerage water from 17 union councils of Peshawar and it has been declared as one of the three polio virus reservoirs in the country by World Health Organisation.
Move initiated after surfacing of polio case in Diamer
“The development is a progress which can be converted into complete success through immunisation,” said sources.
The campaign targeting 400,000 children in Kohistan, Battagram, Shangla, Mansehra and Abbottabad was launched on Monday as a case response strategy by the health department. According to guidelines, laid down for polio eradication, the children in the adjacent areas need to be vaccinated in three campaigns, two weeks apart, to enhance their immunity.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, more focus was being laid on central and southern districts where children were frequently vaccinated while in northern districts of the province, the number of campaigns was far lesser because the department seldom reported cases there.
These are not high-risk districts owing to which the local children don’t have immunity to stay safe against infection. One campaign had taken place in February and third will be held from April 17 to cover the whole province.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa detected last polio case in September 2016. Peshawar has not registered any polio case since February 2017. But detection of child with polio virus in Gilgit-Baltistan and continuous flow of unvaccinated children to Peshawar from outside make the province-wide drives, to be held on April 17 and May 15, pivotal to sustain the gains achieved during the past one year.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa vaccinates 5.6 million target population with the help of 18,000 workers including 70 per cent female. The induction of female vaccinators has led to better coverage in the previous campaigns. The province desperately requires measures to reach the missed children. A single unimmunised child is dangerous for the people.
Technical Advisory Board for polio eradication recently appreciated the progress made by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with regard to improvement in vaccination but cautioned against any complacency. TAG, which is a global body on polio eradication, noted that Pakistan was progressing in right direction but there was no room for laxity.
Pakistan has recorded two cases compared to about 10 in corresponding period last year which is a progress but it has to chase virus where it exists and threatens the population. There is very small distance to reach zero case but walk is upstairs, according to TAG officials.
Published in Dawn, April 4th, 2017
PESHAWAR: A three-day anti-polio campaign has been launched in five districts Khyber Pakhtunkwa to safeguard children in the areas bordering Diamer in Gilgit-Baltistan, which recorded in March the first polio case after 2009.
Sources in these districts said that the drive was aimed at protecting local children from polio virus after the case was recorded in Gilgit-Baltistan as it meant that the virus was in circulation and may infect people if they were left unvaccinated.
Simultaneously, environmental sample taken from sewerage water in Peshawar in March this year has emerged negative for polio virus after being tested positive for six months consecutively.
One of the sites, from where water samples were collected on monthly basis, gets sewerage water from 17 union councils of Peshawar and it has been declared as one of the three polio virus reservoirs in the country by World Health Organisation.
Move initiated after surfacing of polio case in Diamer
“The development is a progress which can be converted into complete success through immunisation,” said sources.
The campaign targeting 400,000 children in Kohistan, Battagram, Shangla, Mansehra and Abbottabad was launched on Monday as a case response strategy by the health department. According to guidelines, laid down for polio eradication, the children in the adjacent areas need to be vaccinated in three campaigns, two weeks apart, to enhance their immunity.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, more focus was being laid on central and southern districts where children were frequently vaccinated while in northern districts of the province, the number of campaigns was far lesser because the department seldom reported cases there.
These are not high-risk districts owing to which the local children don’t have immunity to stay safe against infection. One campaign had taken place in February and third will be held from April 17 to cover the whole province.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa detected last polio case in September 2016. Peshawar has not registered any polio case since February 2017. But detection of child with polio virus in Gilgit-Baltistan and continuous flow of unvaccinated children to Peshawar from outside make the province-wide drives, to be held on April 17 and May 15, pivotal to sustain the gains achieved during the past one year.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa vaccinates 5.6 million target population with the help of 18,000 workers including 70 per cent female. The induction of female vaccinators has led to better coverage in the previous campaigns. The province desperately requires measures to reach the missed children. A single unimmunised child is dangerous for the people.
Technical Advisory Board for polio eradication recently appreciated the progress made by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with regard to improvement in vaccination but cautioned against any complacency. TAG, which is a global body on polio eradication, noted that Pakistan was progressing in right direction but there was no room for laxity.
Pakistan has recorded two cases compared to about 10 in corresponding period last year which is a progress but it has to chase virus where it exists and threatens the population. There is very small distance to reach zero case but walk is upstairs, according to TAG officials.
Published in Dawn, April 4th, 2017
