General News

Eradication of Polio in Pakistan

Dr. Nima Saeed Abid, the acting WHO chief in Pakistan, said health workers have not been able to immunize Some 240,000 children have missed UN-backed vaccinations against polio because of security concerns in Pakistanโ€™s tribal regions in the North and South Waziristan regions โ€“ strongholds for Taliban militants bordering Afghanistan since July 2012. Pakistan is one of the few remaining countries, along with Afghanistan and Nigeria, where polio is rampant. As many as 58 cases were reported in Pakistan in 2012, down from 198 in 2011.

The true extent of Pakistanโ€™s polio problem is difficult to measure. In the absence of a credible monitoring and reporting mechanism, many cases may be going unreported. Available data suggests a strong connection between peace and polio. Its incidence is low in the relatively peaceful areas in Punjab and Sindh and high in restive K-P, Fata and Balochistan. Of the 198 cases recorded in 2011, a staggering 188 were from violence-plagued areas, including Balochistan (73), Fata (59), K-P (23) and Sindh (33). Similarly, 55 of the total 58 cases in 2012 were reported from Balochistan (four), Fata (20), K-P (27) and Sindh (four). The biggest challenge in containing the poliovirus is being faced in K-P and Fata. The World Health Organization says that children in North and South Waziristan agencies have not been immunized since July 2012. According to data provided by K-Pโ€™s Expanded Program on Immunization, just five cases were recorded in 2005. A spike in cases started emerging with the rise in violence in 2006. The trend continues to date.

Download the report: http://www.dpiap.org/upload/2013-05-26-03.zip

Additional Information

Country: Pakistan
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Source: DPI-Pakistan
When: 26/5/2013

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