Pakistan reports 6th polio case in 2023

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has reported its sixth polio case of 2023 after a nine-month-old child in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Orakzai district became the latest victim of the crippling disease.

The Ministry of Health has confirmed that the polio virus was found in a 9-month-old child in Orakzai district.

Caretaker Minister for Health Dr. Nadeem Jan said that steps are being taken on an emergency basis to eradicate polio.

On November 11, Ministry of Health reported that a 31-month-old child had been diagnosed with polio in Karachi.

At least 21.6 million children were administered polio drops during the last polio drive of the ongoing year.

Friday was the last day of anti-polio drive in the Punjab province.

According to a spokesman, more than 1.6 million children were given polio vaccine in Lahore, seven lakh children in Rawalpindi, 1.2 million in Faisalabad, more than 990,000 children were administered polio vaccine in Multan.

During the anti-polio campaign, the target was set to vaccinate more than 22.5 million children.

The spokesman said that over two lakh polio workers were part of the drive. In Lahore, 14,000 workers administered polio drops while going door-to-door in all localities.

On the other hand, Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar met Co-Chair of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates on the sidelines of COP-28 conference in Dubai.

Gates-Kakar discussed progress in Pakistan's polio eradication efforts and the foundation's cooperation with Islamabad in financial inclusion and alleviation of poverty and malnutrition.

PM Kakar apprised Bill Gates of the ongoing polio vaccination drive in Pakistan and said the country would spare no effort to eliminate the poliovirus.        

He underlined the government's commitment to maximize outreach of vaccines to children across the country.