ISLAMABAD: Pakistan immunized more than 43.5 million children during a nationwide polio campaign in December, an official statement said on Friday, adding the program was also utilized to create greater awareness about the coronavirus pandemic and inoculate people against COVID-19 in 31 high-risk districts.
Pakistan is one of the two countries in the world where polio is not fully eradicated. The government periodically launches immunization drives to end the viral infection, though this is the first time it has also used it to increase the pace of its vaccination program against the coronavirus outbreak.
"The unique approach of facilitating COVID-19 vaccination by polio workers during the campaign helped families to get essential COVID-19 vaccine," said Dr. Shahzad Baig, coordinator of the National Emergency Operations Center for the Polio Eradication Initiative.
The statement said the high-risk districts for COVID-19 were identified by the National Command and Operations Center (NCOC), the country's top pandemic response body, in different parts of the country.
The NCOC had asked polio teams to administer Pfizer vaccine to children between 12 and 18 years of age. They were also instructed to use Sinovac to inoculate people older than 18.
"We will continue using targeted, concerted efforts and focused immunization campaigns to stop the virus circulation and ensure every child is safe from this vaccine-preventable disease," said Dr. Faisal Sultan, advisor to the prime minister on public health, while commenting on the fourth nationwide polio immunization drive.
More than 290,000 frontline polio workers along with other team members worked in collaboration to ensure children's vaccination.
"The Polio Program is optimistic about controlling the poliovirus despite the complex challenges," the statement said.
"Recent epidemiological data indicate the declining trend of polio cases and decreased detection of viruses in environmental samples compared to previous years, suggesting the program is on track," it added.
