ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has directed the local administration of 22 high polio-risk districts to take emergency measures for eradication of the crippling disease.
He expressed his views while chairing a virtual meeting of provincial chief secretaries and deputy commissioners for control of polio. The meeting was attended by Special Assistants to the Prime Minister Dr. Faisal Sultan, Dr. Shahbaz Gill, and other senior officers.
The districts include three in Punjab (Lahore, Rawalpindi and Faisalabad), eight in Sindh (all districts of Karachi division and Qambar), five in Khyber Pukhtunkhwa (Khyber, Bannu, Peshawar, Lakki Marwat and South Waziristan), five in Balochistan (Quetta, Pishin, Qila Abdullah, Zhob, Mastung) and Islamabad.
The Prime Minister urged the authorities concerned to take full advantage of the reduced number of cases reported in the country and work towards its complete elimination.
The premier was informed that no polio case was reported in the last six months across the country. Also, only 14 of environmental samples were found positive, which recorded a 56 increase compared to last year.
PM Imran was informed that the current position showed a rare opportunity to eradicate polio from the country, however the next 6-12 months were crucial.
This year, only one polio case has been reported in Pakistan; in Balochistan in January 2021. The Pakistan Paediatric Association, Pakistan Islamic Medical Association as well as religious clerics endorse the oral polio vaccine as the safest and most effective way for not only preventing polio but also eradicating it from the country.
