https://arab.news/rns43
- Pakistan has reported 30 polio cases so far this year
- Polio only remains endemic in Pakistan and Afghanistan
KARACHI: Ayesha Raza Farooq, the Pakistan prime minister’s focal person for polio eradication, on Friday commended frontline workers for risking their lives to protect children from polio, as the South Asian country marked the World Polio Day.
The World Polio Day is observed on Oct. 24 each year to raise awareness about global efforts to eradicate the disease that mainly affects children and can cause paralysis. It marks the birth of Dr. Jonas Salk, who developed the first polio vaccine.
Pakistan has reported 30 polio cases so far this year. The South Asian country this month ran a week-long immunization campaign, with anti-polio vaccinators going door-to-door to vaccinate over 45 million children nationwide despite multiple attacks.
“In every polio campaign, more than 400,000 frontline heroes go door-to-door to ensure the protection of every child,” Farooq was quoted as saying by the country’s polio program. “The dedication and courage of frontline health workers are the true driving force behind Pakistan’s fight against polio.”
Pakistan is among the last two nations in the world, along with Afghanistan, where the disease remains endemic.
The country has made remarkable progress since the 1990s, when annual polio cases exceeded 20,000, bringing them down to just eight by 2018. However, Pakistan recorded 74 cases in 2024, a sharp increase from six in 2023 and only one in 2021.
Pakistan’s efforts to eliminate poliovirus have been hampered by parental refusals, widespread misinformation and repeated attacks on anti-polio workers by militant groups. In remote and volatile areas, vaccination teams often operate under police protection, though security personnel themselves have also been targeted and killed in attacks.
Farooq called for renewed efforts to eradicate the virus to guarantee a safe and healthy future for every child in Pakistan.
“World Polio Day is a reminder of our commitment and our promise to achieve a polio-free Pakistan,” she added.