KARACHI:As many as two more cases of polio have been reported in Pakistan, one each from Karachi and Khyber district, bringing the total number of cases of the disease in the country in the ongoing year to six.
Director General (DG) Health Sindh Dr Masood Solangi announced with great regret that the first polio case of Sindh in 2019 as a 36-month old Safa female child was tested positive for the virus in UC-9 Lyari Town.
He informed that the child had received the oral polio vaccine on multiple occasions; however, she had a history of illness and suffered from malnourishment, hence was low on immunity and developed weakness in her limbs.
However the child will not suffer from paralysis as she was vaccinated with OPV on multiple occasions and has fully recovered
Coordinator, Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) for Polio in Sindh Umar Farooq Bullo said: “One must recognise the importance of vaccination, the fact than this girl is not paralysed shows that the oral polio vaccine works, had she not received OPV on 7+ occasions she would have had to suffer a lifetime of disability. This is also a message for refusal families, by not vaccinating their children they are not only putting their own children on danger but also the children of others.”
The total case count for polio cases in Sindh is 1 while in Pakistan it is 6 in 2019. In 2018 Sindh reported only 1 polio case which was from Gadap in Karachi and this was a historical low for the province. The country reported 12 polio cases in 2018.
Sindh Government will respond strongly and a campaign is planned in the city from 25 March, despite major improvements in the programme and a decline in cases, we cannot rest and must ensure that no child suffers from a vaccine preventable disease. Parents must also take responsibility and comply with recommendations given by health experts and cooperate with polio teams,” said Umer Farooq Bullo, coordinator EOC Sindh.
Along with Afghanistan and Nigeria, Pakistan is one of the only three countries where complete polio eradication has not yet been achieved.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), polio has been all but wiped out across the world following a sustained vaccination campaign.
There is no known cure but the disease can be prevented if children are given multiple treatments with the polio vaccine, the WHO says.