Pakistan contributes 85pc of polio cases of the world: experts

Karachi
Despite the significant reduction in polio cases this year — 29 till August as compared to 143 cases in August last year — Pakistan still accounts for 85 percent of the world’s polio cases since a large number of children in key high-risk areas of the country remain unimmunised and unprotected against the virus.
“Around 440,000 children under the age of five years have not received any dose of polio vaccine despite repeated and continuous special immunisation drives in the country. Out of these children, 245,000 children are from Balochistan, 75,000 from Sindh, 51,000 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 60,000 from FATA. Only children in Punjab are being vaccinated properly,” said Dr Muhammad Usman, who is the emergency coordinator of Provincial Emergency Operation Centre for Polio Eradication and Immunisation.
He was speaking at an orientation session for journalists on the role of media in polio eradication organised by the Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) in collaboration with the Sindh health department, Unicef and Rotary International.
Another expert, Dr Chachar, said though Pakistan was making significant progress in the fight against polio, with a 75 percent reduction in the number of cases between the same period this year and last year, a lot more still had to be done since the country still contributed 85 percent cases in the world.
“All health bodies and experts in the world are utilizing their energies to eradicate polio from Pakistan in order to end the crippling disease,” he said. “However, millions of children in key high-risk areas of the country still remain unimmunised and unprotected against the crippling virus.”
In 1988, he said, there were 125 polio-infected countries with greater than 350,000 polio cases per year and the World Health Assembly held at Almaty, Kazakhstan, had passed a resolution for taking concentrated efforts for the eradication of polio. By 2014, he said, only three countries remained endemic, Pakistan, Nigeria and Afghanistan.
Nigeria has not reported a case of infection by the wild polio virus (WPV) since July 2014. Now, Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only countries with active viral circulation of the polio virus.
He said at least 29 polio cases have been reported from Pakistan in 2015, out of total 35 cases across the world. Dr Chachar said four polio cases were detected in Sindh province this year out of which two were in Dadu, and one each in Sukkur and Qambar-Shahdadkot districts, respectively.
He said one last impetus was required to drive the efforts of polio eradication home in Pakistan and making the world free from the crippling disease.
Moluna Umer Saddiq said religious leaders were also trying their best to play their due role to eradicate polio from Pakistan through their speeches and sermons. He hoped the country will be become polio free with coordinated efforts of all stakeholders of the society.
A member of the Emergency Operation Centre, Muhammad Amir, and a representative of Rotary Pakistan, Masood Bhali, also spoke on the occasion and informed the participants about efforts being made by them to reach children, and generating awareness among refusing parents and social mobilisation for the eradication of polio from Pakistan.