The positivity rate of polio environmental samples stood at 3 percent in 2023 as compared to 4 percent in 2022, down by 1 percent.
LAHORE : Amid frequent outbreaks in other provinces, Punjab closed the year 2023 without a polio case, achieving a significant milestone in fight against the crippling virus.
The achievement can be attributed to the top-quality polio campaigns throughout the year which hit an aggregate coverage of more than 100 percent, said the head of the polio programme in Punjab and Emergency Operations Centre Coordinator Khizer Afzaal on Monday. However, he admitted, that during the year 2023, nine environmental samples collected from Lahore (6) and Rawalpindi (3) tested positive.
The positivity rate of polio environmental samples stood at 3 percent in 2023 as compared to 4 percent in 2022, down by 1 percent. The difference is more visible if compared to 2020 when environmental samples positivity rate rose to 58 percent. After successful implementation of quality polio campaigns, samples from all environmental sites have been turned negative, rejoiced the EOC Coordinator.
Explaining next year plans, the EOC head outlined that based on the programme risk categorisation, two districts from Punjab, labeled as outbreak response districts, will be given highest priority. ‘On account of other risk factors, including risk of importation, Punjab EOC will also be focusing on additional eight districts from maintenance category, including DG Khan, Bhakkar Rajanpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Multan, Mianwali, Layyah and Muzaffargarh’, he said.
The EOC Coordinator reiterated Punjab was taking concrete steps to improve quality of campaigns and coverage of high-risk mobile population at transit points. ‘Movement of population between core reservoir and Punjab is one of the major causes of virus importation in Punjab. Punjab has set up transit vaccination points to immunise cross-border and inter-provincial populations in efforts to eradicate polio’, Afzaal underscored.
The Punjab’s polio eradication programme head further elaborated that priority populations living in the province permanently or on ad-hoc basis held the key to sustaining Punjab’s polio-free status.
He assured that the programme was engaging more women and language appropriate vaccinators to communicate with such populations.
Considering the criticality of such populations and risk as well as vulnerability involved, Punjab’s communication workers were extensively working to register, map and profile high risk mobile populations entering Punjab so that all children are vaccinated during the campaigns, observed the coordinator.
Recalling key strategies which worked in 2023 and key focus areas in 2024, he added that to ensure that every under five years of age child was reached during campaign, Punjab EOC and districts have implemented zero by zero and locked houses validation in high risk districts; evening revisits of NA children and vaccination points at local doctor’s clinic during catch-up days have increased the coverage of vulnerable target population.
Also, he recalled, that regular pre and post campaign reviews and provincial and district level monitoring and validation plans led by EOC have enhanced the quality of campaigns and data authenticity.
The EOC head stressed that Punjab was proactively working on strengthening the Essential Immunisation through PEI resources.
‘Monitoring of activities are supported by PEI staff. In addition to monitoring, Health department has leveraged Polio teams to identify and vaccinate due/defaulters in Lahore and Faisalabad respectively’, the EOC head said.
Apart from ensuring the implementation of quality campaigns, the Punjab government through Health Department ensures the safety and security of our frontline heroes. The government and Health Department have pledged to make the all-out effort to provide essential support to workers and facilitate them during unforeseen challenges.
‘We acknowledge the hard work of our resilient and brave workers who are determined to protect every child in the province from the crippling virus and together we will soon achieve the goal of eradication in Pakistan’, he resolved.
2024 is the year that Pakistan aims to interrupt transmission of poliovirus from the country and the Polio Programme is working steadily towards that goal, the EOC head reiterated.