Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
Pakistani Authorities on Monday launched the final nationwide anti-polio vaccination campaign of the year, aiming to protect 45 million children, after more than two dozen cases of the potentially paralyzing disease were reported in the country on Monday, officials said.
according to World Health OrganizationPakistan and neighbors afghanistan There are only two countries where polio has not been eradicated.
Pakistan has reported 30 polio cases since January, down from 74 in the same period last year, according to a statement from the government-run polio eradication initiative.
This campaign is the fifth national vaccination campaign of the country this year. Despite persistent security threats, Pakistan continues to conduct such operations regularly.
Health Minister Mustafa Kamal urged parents to cooperate with the vaccination teams. Kamal said of the latest polio cases, “It’s not just about numbers. Each case puts a child’s future and the safety of our communities at risk.”
According to the statement, more than 400,000 front-line health workers are going door-to-door in Balochistan, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan-administered territories. Kashmirand in islamabadTo ensure that no child is left behind.
Militants have repeatedly targeted vaccination workers and the police assigned to protect them, falsely claiming the campaign is a Western plot to sterilize Muslim children.
Authorities have deployed thousands of police officers to protect vaccination teams after intelligence reports warned of possible terrorist attacks.
Since the 1990s, more than 200 polio workers and the police officers assigned to protect them have been killed in such attacks.
“The December polio campaign is synchronized with Afghanistan, ensuring that both countries will boost immunity to prevent cross-border transmission,” the statement said.
Officials said Pakistan has made significant progress in controlling the virus.
“We are closer than ever to achieving elimination, and this campaign represents an important last-ditch effort to stop the virus in all places where it is still spreading,” it said.