Presence of poliovirus in Islamabad raises alarm

Islamabad

Minister of State for Health Saira Afzal Thursday expressed concern over the third consecutive positive environmental sample originating from Islamabad and indicating the presence of poliovirus. She called for coordinated efforts between the Rawalpindi and Islamabad teams to avert the risk of polio cases in the district.

Reviewing preparations for the upcoming national round of polio immunisation beginning from May 15, Saira advised the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) to make best use of available data on Routine Immunization and to fast track efforts to improve immunization coverage, particularly in core reservoirs having Community-Based Vaccinators.

The meeting was attended by Director General for Health, polio team leads representing partner agencies WHO, Unicef, BMGF, NSTOP, senior advisers of the National Emergency Operations Centre for Polio, National Manager of EPI and technical representative of the Pakistan Army.

Saira directed that optimal level of preparations be made for the upcoming national round of the polio campaign targeting over 37 million children. She also called for stringent monitoring by National and Provincial Emergency Operation Centres to ensure there is no let up in efforts at any level. Earlier, a detailed technical briefing was given on the current epidemiology of polio, results of the April national polio campaign and preparedness status for the May national round.