ISLAMABAD / QUETTA: A fifth case of polio has been reported from a district near the Afghan border, taking the number of polio victims detected in Balochistan to 10, out of a total of 13 reported from across Pakistan this year.

The latest victim is an 11-month-old infant from Qila Abdullah who has been paralysed by the wild poliovirus. The case highlights the persistent threat of polio and the urgency for communities to ensure polio vaccination of all under-five children living among them.

In addition to the five cases reported from Qila Abdullah district, the other five cases of Balochistan have been found in Chaman, Quetta, Zhob, Dera Bugti and Jhal Magsi, whereas three cases — two from Sindh and one from Punjab — have been confirmed from the rest of the country.

Prime Minister’s Focal Person on Polio Eradica­tion Ayesha Raza Farooq, who met Balo­­chistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti and some senior officials last week, said the provincial government was dealing with the situation on an emergency footing and was strategising to curb the poliovirus spread. Ac­­cording to her, Baloch­istan was facing the brunt of a poliovirus outbreak in Chaman, Qilla Abdullah and Quetta.

The persistent detection of cases from Qilla Abdullah highlighted the need for urgent action and relentless vigilance, said Anwarul Haq, the coordinator for national Emergency Operations Centre (EOC). He said the Balochistan EOC and health department, with complete support from the federal teams, were “on the frontlines against this outbreak”.

The Regional Refe­ren­­ce Laboratory for Polio Era­dication at the Natio­n­­al Institute of Health, Isla­mabad, and the Balo­chis­tan EOC confirmed that the latest victim of poliovirus was an 11-month-old boy from the Jungle Camp area of Qila Abdullah who developed symptoms of paralysis on July 17.

Coordinator to the PM on National Health Servi­ces Dr Malik Mukhtar Bharat said protecting children from the crippling virus was the government’s priority. “We are working with the provincial governm­ent to redouble our efforts to strengthen immunisation in the province and build children’s immunity against polio,” he said.

At this critical juncture, the Polio Program­me’s National Polio Management Team is also meeting this week as preparations escalate ahead of the next polio campaign planned for September. Over the past few weeks, the polio programme has conducted an extensive self-critical assessment in consultation with all provinces and is in the process of implementing a roadmap to interrupt virus transmission, particularly in high-risk districts.

“Poliovirus is extrem­e­­ly smart in showing our gaps, where we have mis­sed children through ca­­mpaigns and routine im­­m­unisation. We are re-gr­ouping efforts and mo­­m­entum with our provincial colleagues to urgently plug these gaps to curb further spread of the virus,” said Ms Faro­oq, PM’s focal per­­son on polio eradication.

Published in Dawn, August 8th, 2024