Pakistan
Special polio campaign begins from today in 124 districts of country
Islamabad: A special polio campaign of varied duration begins in 124 districts of the country from today.
According to details, designated polio teams will administer polio drops to over 33 million children under five years age to protect them from the virus.
The health department of all provinces has appealed the parents to get their children vaccinated against polio virus.
In 2020, the number of polio cases in the country surged to 84 with 22 cases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 22 in Sindh, 26 in Balochistan and 14 cases in Punjab. No case from Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Gilgit Baltistan (GB) and Islamabad was reported in previous year.
Polio cases have risen in Pakistan especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan due to continuous propaganda and rumors spread against polio vaccination in recent months.
The global polio eradication drive, which began in 1988, is now close to eradicating the crippling disease from the world.
Unfortunately, Pakistan is one of only two countries in the world, alongside Afghanistan, affected by polio virus. Africa is free from wild poliovirus, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced on 25 August.