Islamabad (TDI): There have been 22 cases of polio in Pakistan this year, according to confirmation from authorities on Wednesday regarding the infection of a 30-month-old boy from Pishin, Balochistan.
After six cases from Qila Abdullah in the province, two from Quetta, and one each from Dera Bugti, Chaman, Jhal Magsi, Zhob, Qila Saifullah, and Kharan, this young boy in Pishin also became the 15th person in Balochistan to contract the illness this year.
As for Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Islamabad have reported one instance, while Sindh has recorded four cases.
Due to the high polio cases density, Balochistan is now the focal point of the current polio outbreak.
The boy is from Union Council Cadet College in District Pishin.
The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health confirmed that the child had wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1), according to officials from the Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI).
Ayesha Raza Farooq, the prime minister’s focal person for polio eradication, expressed frustration at the lack of progress. She highlighted that parental intervention is crucial to stop the transmission of the virus.
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She stated, “We are failing our children, and every new case serves as a devastating reminder of this. Simple and frequent vaccinations are the answer.”
However, several challenges, such as population mobility, are violating Pakistan’s attempts to eradicate polio.
Farooq emphasized that parental refusals have resulted in significant gaps in immunization coverage, frequently because of ignorance or mistrust.
Security concerns have also limited access to children, she added, especially in war-prone parts of Balochistan.
In certain areas, polio workers face the risk of violence, which makes it necessary to miss some children during vaccine rounds.
After a suspected militant attack on a police team escorting polio workers near Malangi Morr on Chodhwan Road in Daraban Tehsil on Wednesday, the PM’s focal point for eradicating polio made these remarks.
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According to the police, militants using automatic weapons opened fire on police officers who were on duty to protect polio workers during the ongoing anti-polio vaccination campaign close to Malangi Morr on Chodhwan Road.
The police officers defending the immunizers, however, quickly put an end to the fire and drove the assailants into a neighboring forest.
During the police-military gunfight, no casualties were recorded. The police quickly arrived on the scene and began a search and grab.
In addition, there have been reports of frontline health workers manipulating statistics; it is said that certain vaccinators have fabricated records to reach goals.
Tracking children who have not had vaccinations and addressing immunity gaps have become more challenging due to this “fudging” of data.
The Polio Emergency Operations Center’s national coordinator, Muhammad Anwarul Haq, demanded swift action to close these gaps of polio cases.
He emphasized that concerted efforts by the public and government are essential to reversing the current trend, saying that “every missed vaccination is an opportunity for the virus to win.”
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He emphasized that vaccinations remained the most effective strategy to fight the infection and asked parents to invite polio workers into their homes.
The government has revised the National Polio Eradication Emergency Operations Plan in light of the particular difficulties Balochistan faces, such as vaccination reluctance, population migration, and instability.
Later this year, two significant door-to-door immunization drives are planned to curb the virus’s continued spread.
