ISLAMABAD: Monday marks the start of a nationwide immunization program aimed at protecting over 24 million children under five from the poliovirus.
Islamabad, ten districts in Punjab, twenty-four districts in Sindh, twenty-six districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and thirty districts in Balochistan will all be the sites of the campaign.
Throughout the campaign, groups of medical professionals will visit homes.
Dr. Malik Mukhtar Ahmed Bharath, the PM’s Coordinator for National Health Services, stated that the government was dedicated to shielding kids from this debilitating illness.
“Poliovirus remains a serious threat to children’s wellbeing as multiple sewage samples across the country have tested positive for the virus in recent months,” he stated.
Dr. Bharath continued, “The only way to protect children from this disease is to give them polio drops. There is no cure.”
The National Emergency Operations Center for Polio Eradication’s coordinator, Dr. Shahzad Baig, stated that the campaign, which is taking place in districts where the spread of the poliovirus is likely, is vital.
He stated, “We are continuing to implement regular vaccination campaigns in all high-risk districts to ensure that children have the immunity to fight off the polio infection, as we have detected the virus in over 31 districts this year.”
Children under five are primarily affected by polio, a highly contagious disease brought on by the poliovirus.
Although polio has no known cure, immunization is the only reliable method of shielding kids from this debilitating illness.
Millions of youngsters have been immune to polio thanks to repeated vaccinations, which have made practically all countries in the globe polio-free, with the exception of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
