Pakistan Launches Third National Polio Campaign of 2023, Vows to Eradicate Disease by Year-End

Strategic Insights -

Federal Minister for Health, Syed Mustafa Kamal, officially launched the third National Polio Campaign of 2023 at the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC). The nationwide campaign aims to vaccinate approximately 45.4 million children under the age of five, building on the momentum of synchronized polio campaigns with Afghanistan. Minister Kamal emphasized the importance of immunization, urging parents to ensure their children receive the vaccine without fail, citing the preventable nature of the disease.

Key Takeaways:

  • The third National Polio Campaign of 2023 targets 45.4 million children under the age of five across Pakistan.
  • The campaign is part of the country's efforts to eradicate polio, with Minister Kamal affirming that polio eradication remains one of the top priorities of the Government of Pakistan.
  • Minister Kamal personally administered polio drops and vitamin A supplements to children at the event, emphasizing the importance of community engagement and frontline polio workers in the fight against polio.
  • Recent campaigns in Karachi have shown a noticeable decline in refusals to polio drops, thanks to community engagement efforts.
  • Poliovirus has been detected in environmental samples from 50 out of 89 districts, with Minister Kamal urging communities to reject misinformation and actively support immunization teams.
  • Minister Kamal appealed to every citizen to support this critical health initiative, ensuring a safer, polio-free future for the children of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Statistics:

  • 45.4 million children under the age of five are targeted for vaccination in the nationwide campaign.
  • Poliovirus has been detected in environmental samples from 50 out of 89 districts.
  • Recent campaigns in Karachi have seen a decline in refusals to polio drops, a result of community engagement efforts.
  • Garang also shared that out of the 50 isolated polio cases total of 15 have been caused by wild poliovirus type 1 while 35 have been caused by wild poliovirus type 2 and 2 cases have been caused by type 2 positive circulate environmental samples (CERV) in antelope and in humans.

Sources:

  • The Express Tribune
  • Dawn
  • Ministry of Health, Government of Pakistan