Latest news with #polioProgram
Arab News
5 days ago
- Health
- Arab News
Pakistan reports 14th polio case of this year in troubled northwest
KARACHI: Pakistan has reported 14th case of polio virus this year in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, the country's polio program said on Tuesday, amid intensifying efforts to eradicate the disease. Polio is a highly infectious and incurable disease that can cause lifelong paralysis. The only effective protection is through repeated doses of the oral polio vaccine (OPV) for every child under five during each campaign, along with timely completion of all essential immunizations. The virus was detected in a 19-month-old boy in Miranshah-3 union council of KP's North Waziristan district, according to a reference laboratory at the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Islamabad. KP has reported eight cases of the virus this year, followed by four from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan. The northwestern region, which borders Afghanistan, has long been affected by militancy, with militant groups frequently targeting security forces, government officials and anti-polio vaccination teams. 'While nationwide efforts to eradicate polio continue to improve the quality of vaccination campaigns, the southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remain a major concern due to limited access and challenges in conducting house-to-house vaccination,' the polio program said. 'These obstacles result in missed opportunities, leaving thousands of children unvaccinated and vulnerable to poliovirus.' Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries where polio remains endemic. Islamabad made significant progress in curbing the virus, with annual cases dropping from around 20,000 in the early 1990s to just eight in 2018. Pakistan reported six cases in 2023 and only one in 2021, however, the country witnessed an intense resurgence of the poliovirus in 2024, with 74 cases reported. Efforts to eradicate the virus have been repeatedly undermined by vaccine misinformation and resistance from some religious hard-liners who claim that immunization is a foreign plot to sterilize Muslim children or a cover for Western espionage. Militant groups have frequently targeted polio vaccination teams and the security personnel assigned to protect them, particularly in KP and Balochistan. The polio program said it had conducted a special vaccination activity in six union councils of KP's Bannu district last month and inoculated 17,485 children, and a similar targeted vaccination drive was being planned in 11 union councils of North Waziristan. 'Additionally, preparations are underway for a large-scale special vaccination campaign in South Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, scheduled for August,' it said, urging parents to ensure their children receive the vaccine. 'Recent polio cases in South KP are a stark reminder that children missed during vaccination campaigns remain at serious risk. While the program is making every effort to reach every child, the role of parents is critical.'
CTV News
02-06-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Pakistan's anti-polio drive suffers a blow after a northern enclave reports first case in 7 years
PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Pakistan efforts to eliminate polio suffered another blow on Monday after a northern enclave reported its first case in seven years. Overall, it was the country's 11th case since January, despite the launch of several immunization drives. The virus was detected in a child from the district of Diamer in the Gilgit-Baltistan region, according to the country's polio eradication program. Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan remain the only two countries where the spread of the wild polio virus has not been stopped, according to the World Health Organization. There are ongoing outbreaks of polio linked to the oral vaccine in 10 other countries, mostly in Africa. The new case was reported after Pakistan on Sunday wrapped up its third nationwide polio vaccination drive of the year, aiming to immunize 45 million children. Mohammad Iqbal, a director at the polio program in the northwest, said local health officials were still trying to determine how the poliovirus that was found in the southern port city of Karachi had infected the child in Diamer. During the summer season, thousands of tourists from Karachi and elsewhere visit tourist resorts in Gilgit-Baltistan. Pakistan's polio eradication program has been running anti-polio campaigns for years, though health workers and the police assigned to protect them are often targeted by militants who falsely claim the vaccination campaigns are a Western conspiracy to sterilize children. Since the 1990s, attacks on polio vaccination teams have killed more than 200 workers and security personnel.
Arab News
02-06-2025
- Health
- Arab News
Pakistan's anti-polio drive suffers a blow after a northern enclave reports first case in 7 years
PESHAWAR: Pakistan efforts to eliminate polio suffered another blow on Monday after a northern enclave reported its first case in seven years. Overall, it was the country's 11th case since January, despite the launch of several immunization drives. The virus was detected in a child from the district of Diamer in the Gilgit-Baltistan region, according to the country's polio eradication program. Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan remain the only two countries where the spread of the wild polio virus has not been stopped, according to the World Health Organization. There are ongoing outbreaks of polio linked to the oral vaccine in 10 other countries, mostly in Africa. The new case was reported after Pakistan on Sunday wrapped up its third nationwide polio vaccination drive of the year, aiming to immunize 45 million children. Mohammad Iqbal, a director at the polio program in the northwest, said local health officials were still trying to determine how the poliovirus that was found in the southern port city of Karachi had infected the child in Diamer. During the summer season, thousands of tourists from Karachi and elsewhere visit tourist resorts in Gilgit-Baltistan. Pakistan's polio eradication program has been running anti-polio campaigns for years, though health workers and the police assigned to protect them are often targeted by militants who falsely claim the vaccination campaigns are a Western conspiracy to sterilize children. Since the 1990s, attacks on polio vaccination teams have killed more than 200 workers and security personnel.
The Independent
02-06-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Pakistan's anti-polio drive suffers a blow after a northern enclave reports first case in 7 years
Pakistan efforts to eliminate polio suffered another blow on Monday after a northern enclave reported its first case in seven years. Overall, it was the country's 11th case since January, despite the launch of several immunization drives. The virus was detected in a child from the district of Diamer in the Gilgit-Baltistan region, according to the country's polio eradication program. Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan remain the only two countries where the spread of the wild polio virus has not been stopped, according to the World Health Organization. There are ongoing outbreaks of polio linked to the oral vaccine in 10 other countries, mostly in Africa. The new case was reported after Pakistan on Sunday wrapped up its third nationwide polio vaccination drive of the year, aiming to immunize 45 million children. Mohammad Iqbal, a director at the polio program in the northwest, said local health officials were still trying to determine how the poliovirus that was found in the southern port city of Karachi had infected the child in Diamer. During the summer season, thousands of tourists from Karachi and elsewhere visit tourist resorts in Gilgit-Baltistan. Pakistan's polio eradication program has been running anti-polio campaigns for years, though health workers and the police assigned to protect them are often targeted by militants who falsely claim the vaccination campaigns are a Western conspiracy to sterilize children. Since the 1990s, attacks on polio vaccination teams have killed more than 200 workers and security personnel.
Associated Press
02-06-2025
- Health
- Associated Press
Pakistan's anti-polio drive suffers a blow after a northern enclave reports first case in 7 years
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan efforts to eliminate polio suffered another blow on Monday after a northern enclave reported its first case in seven years. Overall, it was the country's 11th case since January, despite the launch of several immunization drives. The virus was detected in a child from the district of Diamer in the Gilgit-Baltistan region, according to the country's polio eradication program. Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan remain the only two countries where the spread of the wild polio virus has not been stopped, according to the World Health Organization. There are ongoing outbreaks of polio linked to the oral vaccine in 10 other countries, mostly in Africa. The new case was reported after Pakistan on Sunday wrapped up its third nationwide polio vaccination drive of the year, aiming to immunize 45 million children. Mohammad Iqbal, a director at the polio program in the northwest, said local health officials were still trying to determine how the poliovirus that was found in the southern port city of Karachi had infected the child in Diamer. During the summer season, thousands of tourists from Karachi and elsewhere visit tourist resorts in Gilgit-Baltistan. Pakistan's polio eradication program has been running anti-polio campaigns for years, though health workers and the police assigned to protect them are often targeted by militants who falsely claim the vaccination campaigns are a Western conspiracy to sterilize children. Since the 1990s, attacks on polio vaccination teams have killed more than 200 workers and security personnel.
