ISLAMABAD: The Regional Reference Lab at the National Institute of Health has notified the 16th polio case of the year from Hyderabad district of Sindh province where the wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) virus was found in a 29-month-old child.
“Yet again the poliovirus has found a vulnerable child and paralyzed her for life,” said Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication Ayesha Raza Farooq. “This is a clear reminder that until we eradicate this virus from our country, no child anywhere is safe from its devastating effects.”
She said that WPV1 was consistently being reported in sewage samples of Hyderabad for the last four months, reiterating the continued risk of polio circulating anywhere in the country. While poliovirus is circulating anywhere, children everywhere are at risk, she underscored.
“We are operating on an emergency footing in all provinces given the intensity of the outbreak and extent of virus spread,” she said, adding that the Polio Programme has held extensive consultations with provincial teams and is implementing a comprehensive roadmap to interrupt virus transmission, beginning with an extensive, large-scale polio vaccination campaign from September 9.
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This is the third polio case from Sindh this year. Sixteen cases have been reported including 12 from Balochistan, three from Sindh and one from Punjab, while 62 districts are infected.
Muhammad Anwar ul Haq, Coordinator of the National Emergency Operations Centre for Polio Eradication, said that a detailed case investigation is being conducted to identify the origins of the virus and the immunization status of the child.
“Poliovirus has been circulating in adjacent districts of Karachi and in Hyderabad for several months,” he said. “Every child’s wellbeing is important to us, and we will be launching a vaccination campaign in all affected districts from September 9 to boost children’s immunity.”