Abstract
Poliomyelitis is a highly contagious disease that can lead to severe disability but it is preventable by vaccination and improved standards of living. It spreads from person to person via faecal-oral route.
At present Pakistan, Nigeria and Afghanistan are the three countries having endemic polio. Pakistan’s polio statistics horribly stand at the incidence of 278 cases as the year 2014 comes to an end. In Pakistan initially routine expanded program of immunization (EPI) starting in 1974 controlled the disease but later on cases started to rise due to lapses in the program. Polio vaccination campaigns have been interrupted in the various regions of the country like Federally administered tribal areas (FATA), the neighboring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province (KPK) and Karachi due to many reasons, violent attacks on the polio workers as one of the worst. To ensure polio free Pakistan, we must remain vigilant with strong surveillance for AFP along with lab support. World health Assembly (WHA) in 1988 passed the resolution for polio eradication by the year 2000 with national immunization days (NIDs) to all children less than 5 years age. Global community is showing concern over widespread prevalence of polio virus in Pakistan as it can spoil billions of dollars invested in polio eradication and ultimately leave millions of children vulnerable once again.
It is high time to review our performance and reassess the causes of failure to ensure polio free Pakistan. Despite the adverse situation, we are struggling for polio-free Pakistan with the support of the international community. Where high number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) has created the chances of more spread of polio, it has also created an opportunity to vaccinate the previously inaccessible community.
Iftikhar Ahmad, Habibullah Khan. (2014) POLIO FREE PAKISTAN: A GOAL YET TO BE ACHIEVED, Gomal Journal of Medical Sciences , Volume 12, Issue 4.
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