ISLAMABAD, Oct 28: Failing to achieve the distinction of freeing the country from polio, the government, which is about to complete its tenure, has decided to claim the success of having 99 polio-free districts in the country.

The nazims of these 99 districts, which had been without polio cases for over two years, would be awarded flags of polio-free districts by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Monday at a gathering of nazims, chief secretaries and health officials from all over the country.

The country is still grappling with the crippling disease and so far 16 cases have been reported this year. Although most of the cases have been from areas bordering Afghanistan, but there has been a resurgence of disease in Sindh this year.

Pakistan remains one of the three countries in the world where polio is still endemic despite an intense polio eradication programme.

Defending the government’s decision to claim the success of 99 polio districts, Programme Manager EPI Dr Rehan Hafiz said epidemiologically the focus had always been at the district level.

Health ministry spokesman Mazhar Nisar said the idea of giving polio-free flags to the districts was an attempt to acknowledge the efforts of the nazims who provided leadership for getting rid of this disease from their districts.