Pakistan polio: Positive environmental samples, Eid vaccination initiative

Positive environmental samples

Sewage samples collected from two previously infected districts and one new district of Balochistan have tested positive for wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1).

According to the Regional Reference Lab for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health, sewage samples collected from Rawalpindi, Islamabad and Loralai on June 3 contained WPV1.  

Image/CDC

This year the virus has been reported in 45 districts, including two districts where only cases have been positive, not sewage samples.

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Eid Vaccination Initiative

As Eid festivities begin across the country, the Pakistan Polio Programme has launched a special initiative to vaccinate children against the paralyzing poliovirus over the Eidul Azha holidays and curb virus spread.

Under the “Eid Mubarak Vaccination Initiative”, polio teams have been deployed at 187 special stalls in key locations such as malls and zoos of more than 20 districts to vaccinate children on the move from June 11 to June 20.

The aim of the initiative is to create awareness about the importance of the polio vaccine, engage parents directly in the fight against this terrible disease and foster community ownership and engagement. It also gives parents the unique opportunity to become polio eradicators themselves.

Parents can visit these stalls where trained polio workers will explain the importance of the vaccine and guide them on how to vaccinate their own children to keep them protected from polio.

“The Eid Mubarak Vaccination Initiative is a great opportunity to engage with communities and make them an active part of polio eradication efforts,” said Coordinator of the National Emergency Operations Center for Polio Eradication, Captain (Retd) Muhammad Anwarul Haq.

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Polio

Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by poliovirus mainly affecting children under the age of five years. It invades the nervous system and can cause paralysis or even death. While there is no cure for polio, vaccination is the most effective way to protect children from this crippling disease. Each time a child under the age of five is vaccinated, their protection against the virus is increased. Repeated immunisations have protected millions of children from polio, allowing almost all countries in the world to become polio-free, except for the two endemic countries of Pakistan and Afghanistan.