Islamabad, October 2 (IANS). Pakistan’s National Institute of Health (NIH) said that after two more cases of polio were reported from Sindh, the total number of polio cases in the country has increased to 26.
A report issued by local media said that according to an NIH official, one case was found in Karachi East district on Tuesday, while the second case was reported from Sajawal district.
Of the 26 cases, 22 have been found in Balochistan and Sindh province, while two cases are from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and one case each has been found in Punjab and the federal capital, Dawn reported.
Prime Minister’s focal person for polio eradication Ayesha Raza Farooq expressed concern over the threat posed by the disease.
He said, “It is sad that Pakistani children are still at risk from a disease that can be easily prevented with the polio vaccine.”
Emphasizing that there is no cure for polio, he stressed the importance of frequent vaccination to protect children from the dangerous effects of the disease.
Farooq appealed to parents, teachers, community elders and caregivers to ensure that all children are vaccinated.
He warned, “One child affected by polio means that hundreds of children around him can become victims of the virus.” “Until all children in Pakistan are vaccinated to form a protective shield against the virus, no child is safe.”
The focus of the polio program is on improving vaccination coverage in high-risk areas, enhancing the quality of campaigns, and promoting community confidence.
A developed and strategic roadmap to eradicate polio aims to stop the spread of the virus by mid-2025.
Last month, a mass vaccination campaign successfully reached 33 million children in 115 districts. Along with this, another nationwide campaign is going to start on October 28.
–IANS
MKS/GKT
