Sub-national polio immunisation campaign gets underway

Islamabad: A sub-national polio immunization campaign gets underway across Pakistan today (Monday) amidst reassurances of the polio vaccine being safe and efficacious, and offering lifelong protection against disability.

“The oral polio vaccine is safe and effective and has been used to eradicate polio in almost every country in the world,” said Senator Ayesha Raza Farooq, Prime Minister’s Focal Person on Polio Eradication.

The campaign aims to reach 23.8 million children aged 5 years. Some 161,000 frontline workers will be going door-to-door over the next five days to reach every eligible child, according to the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) for Polio Eradication.

“Meticulous planning has been put into this campaign to ensure that Pakistan finally rids its borders of this crippling disease and keep its children safe,” said Senator Ayesha Raza Farooq, Prime Minister’s Focal Person on Polio Eradication. “Implementing successful immunization campaigns have helped Pakistan lower the number of cases to the lowest level ever. Success will depend on every campaign organiser and worker to parents and caregivers, who must ensure every child under five receives the two drops of the vaccine,” she added.

Ayesha pleaded that the virus should not be allowed to wriggle off the hook. “I call on communities and families to continue to open their doors to Sehat Muhafiz teams to ensure that every child gets vaccination. This is the only way we can collectively ensure that we rid polio from our land. I, too, am a Sehat Muhafiz,” she added.

Since 2014, there has been an overall 97% reduction in polio cases in Pakistan: from 306 cases in 2014 to 8 in 2017. This year, one polio case has been reported so far. The national polio eradication programme continues to address any remaining gaps to achieve high population immunity in core poliovirus reservoirs including Karachi, Quetta Block and Peshawar.

Multiple doses of polio vaccine are required for a child to be fully protected—sometimes more than ten. Each additional dose further strengthens a child's immunity level against polio. Parents who do not ensure vaccination of their children are risking health and lives of their own children as well as others around them.

“So long as the virus is detected anywhere in the country, no child is safe from being infected. Any child with low immunity will be where the virus will find refuge. We need to ensure all our children are vaccinated with two drops, every time the vaccine is offered,” Dr. Rana Safdar of the NEOC stated.