ISLAMABAD: A polio vaccination campaign has been launched in 39 districts across Pakistan to vaccinate more than 6 million children under the age of five, the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) said, a month after health authorities detected the wild poliovirus in Lahore. 

The drive is being conducted after two environmental samples collected from two separate sites in Lahore tested positive for wild poliovirus in January. The first positive sample of 2023 was detected on January 19 and was genetically linked to the poliovirus found in the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan in Nov, according to Pakistan’s National Institute of Health (NIH). 

This was the first evidence of cross-border transmission in more than a year. The second positive sample was reported on January 27, which was genetically linked to a virus circulating in southern parts of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. 

Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel encouraged parents and caregivers to ensure that their children are vaccinated in this and every campaign to protect them from the disability-causing virus and to stop it from gaining a foothold in their communities. 

“The polio drive will be held from February 13 to 17 in full in nine districts, including the seven endemic districts of Bannu, DI Khan, Tank, Lakki Marwat, North Waziristan, Upper South Waziristan and Lower South Waziristan, in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and two districts of Punjab – Lahore and Faisalabad,” the NEOC said in a statement. 

“Partial campaigns will be conducted in 30 districts during which children will be vaccinated in select union councils of Sheikhupura, 57 UCs bordering Afghanistan, 58 UCs with Afghan refugee camps and 107 UCs of Multan with high-risk mobile populations.” 

Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by poliovirus mainly affecting children under the age of ten years. It invades the nervous system, and can cause paralysis or even death. 

Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries in the world where polio continues to threaten the health and well-being of children. 

Patel said the presence of wild poliovirus with genetic links to virus in Afghanistan and KP was evidence that the virus was moving with people and circulating in communities. 

“Poliovirus on any side of the border is a threat to children in both countries. Only repeated doses of the oral polio vaccine can offer life-long protection,” he said. 

“Our vaccinators will keep bringing the vaccine to your doorstep as often as needed, so I encourage parents and caregivers to ensure that your children take these drops and remain protected.” 

The Lahore district, which reported the positive samples, was already covered during a nationwide campaign in January, according to the NEOC. The February drive will be the second round of response to the virus detection in Lahore, followed by another in March.