ISLAMABAD: With 59 cases of polio reported in the country in the current year compared to just six last year, Prime Minister’s Health Coordinator on Health Dr Malik Mukhtar on Thursday blamed mass travel on Eidul Fitr and Eidul Azha for the spread of the virus.

Briefing the Senate Standing Committee on Health, he said because of mass travel before and after the Eids, the virus travelled from one area to another along with the people.

“People went from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) to Karachi along with children and became carrier of the virus. We were polio free for 14 months, but then suddenly the virus started spreading because of Eids. As many as seven cases have been reported from one union council of Dera Ismail Khan,” he said.

He claimed that a better strategy had been formulated to control and eradicate the virus.

While sharing the challenges, he said Pakistan was the only country in the world in which 88 polio workers sacrificed their lives while administering polio vaccine to children.

Dr Malik, who seemed attending the meeting of the parliamentary committee without getting a briefing on the issue, said polio cases had been emerging in the current season and expressed the hope that it would be controlled in February.

It may be noted that poliovirus spreads in warm season and becomes less active in the cold season. The period from May to September is called high transmission season for the virus.

Polio Head retired Capt Anwarul Haq claimed that the poliovirus will be controlled in coming months. He said the polio programme was focusing on weak children. He said out of the 59 cases, 19 were of minor paralysis and 10 of major paralysis.

Chairman of the committee Amir Waliuddin Chishti appreciated the efforts of the government for the eradication of the virus.

However, PML-N legislator Irfan Siddiqui said the committee will again take a briefing after three months.

PTI Senator Dr Humayun Mohmand said the southern parts of KP had become no-go areas after sunset. He said polio had become a matter of embarrassment for the country.

“Whenever we apply for the visa of any country, embassies demand vaccination cards. On the other hand, some countries administer polio vaccine by themselves. The whole world has become polio-free apart from Pakistan and Afghanistan,” he said.

The PM’s coordinator said the government was going to start a polio dialogue with Afghanistan in which door-to-door campaign will be held in border areas.

For the last many years, the polio programme has been conducting campaigns along with Afghanistan in the border areas.

Bachelor of dental surgery

Additionally, the committee took notice of extending the Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) programme from four to five years. The chairman remarked that the decision was taken without consulting stakeholders. The committee decided to deliberate on the matter in the next meeting.

Published in Dawn, December 13th, 2024