The three-day marketing campaign goals to immunize greater than 44 million youngsters beneath the age of 5 in opposition to the viral illness.
Islamabad, Pakistan – Pakistan has launched its first nationwide polio marketing campaign of the 12 months, aiming to immunize greater than 44 million youngsters beneath the age of 5 to guard them from the viral illness.
The three-day marketing campaign started on Monday in additional than 150 districts of the nation, which along with Afghanistan are the one two international locations the place the debilitating neurodegenerative illness stays endemic.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif formally launched the marketing campaign on Sunday at an occasion within the capital Islamabad, the place he additionally administered polio drops to youngsters.
“I’m satisfied that each one the provincial governments along with the federal authorities will proceed to collaborate to eradicate the illness ceaselessly,” Sharif stated in his speech on the ceremony.
Sharif stated a resurgence of the virus has raised world issues, together with from the World Well being Group (WHO) and different stakeholders.
“Sadly, Pakistan was one of many few international locations the place polio instances resurfaced,” stated an announcement from the prime minister’s workplace.
“Just a few years in the past, in the course of the rule of Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, these instances had been fully eradicated,” he stated, referring to Sharif’s older brother and a former Pakistani prime minister.
The 12 months 2021 noticed only one new case of polio in Pakistan, elevating hopes of success in its battle in opposition to the illness. Nevertheless, that quantity elevated to 20 in 2022, all of them detected within the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Seventeen of these instances had been discovered within the tribal-dominated district of North Waziristan, whereas one other three had been detected within the Lakki Marwat district.
Pakistan and Afghanistan haven’t but been declared free of untamed poliovirus kind 1 (WPV-1) illness.
To be formally acknowledged as polio-free, a rustic should present no transmission of untamed poliovirus for no less than three consecutive years, in keeping with the International Polio Eradication Initiative.
An official with the Nationwide Emergency Operations Middle informed Al Jazeera that the present nationwide marketing campaign is the primary since Might of final 12 months.
“We had been supposed to start out a nationwide marketing campaign in August final 12 months, however due to the flooding, we could not do it. Now our purpose is to make use of greater than 350,000 well being staff to not solely present polio drops, but additionally further vitamin A dietary supplements,” he stated on situation of anonymity.
Pakistan was hit by catastrophic floods final 12 months, which affected 33 million individuals and killed greater than 1,700. Many, together with youngsters, have died from waterborne illnesses brought on by stagnant flooding.
Pakistan’s struggle in opposition to polio has usually confronted resistance from non secular and armed teams who allege the vaccination program is a part of a “Western conspiracy” to sterilize the nation’s youngsters. Some additionally declare that the vaccines include pork fats, so they don’t seem to be halal, although officers have dismissed these rumors.
Greater than 100 individuals related to the polio immunization marketing campaign have been killed and plenty of others injured throughout the nation up to now decade.
The most recent such assault happened on January 5 throughout a provincial anti-polio marketing campaign when 4 policemen had been injured within the Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Resistance to polio vaccines in components of Pakistan additionally gained energy after the 2011 assassination of former al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden by the US army within the Pakistani metropolis of Abbottabad.
To trace down bin Laden, the CIA organized a pretend polio vaccination marketing campaign within the space.