The govt of Balochistan has announced a special campaign in areas bordering Sindh.
The Balochistan government has summoned an emergency meeting and announced to launch a special campaign in areas bordering Sindh.
"Wild Polio virus type 1 (WPV1) still exists in the provincial capital of Balochistan as samples collected from the city's sewage system suggested the persistence of the virus in the environment," Dr Jawahir Habib, a UNICEF Communication Specialist said.
She maintained that the World Health Organization (WHO) had collected on May 22 fresh sewage samples from three sites, including Jamia Salfia, Takhtani Bypass and Sur Pul area of Kharotabad.
The samples were sent to the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, where the sample collected from the areas of Sur Pul tested positive for WPV1.
"The virus reportedly found positive for polio has link[s] with Sukkur, Sindh," Habib said.
Expressing grave concern over the existence of the virus, she said that nomads coming from Sindh and other polio endemic areas pose a serious threat to the efforts against polio in Balochistan.
Habib further stated that a special campaign was launched in the city in the beginning of this summer to administer each child entering the city from Sindh and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa is given polio drops.
"Balochistan is at great risk from the 15,000 children entering from South Afghanistan into Pakistan every month," she continued, further adding that recently a 29-year-old girl in southern Afghanistan was found to have polio.
"It is a matter of concern that polio virus has been found in the environmental samples," Health Secretary Arshad Bugti said.
He noted that no cases of polio were reported in Balochistan for the last 18 months.
"Fearing transfer of the virus from other polio-endemic areas, we had established as many as 48 transit points at exit and entry points of the city," Bugti added. The health secretary said that as an immediate step, a special campaign has been launched in areas bordering Sindh, including Naseerabad, Jaffarabad, Jhal Magsi and Dera Bugti.
Looming threat
Quetta is still under the looming threat of endemic polio virus though WHO, UNICEF and the Balochistan government are striving hard to eliminate the crippling disease by utilising all resources available.
WHO, in line with its commitment and responsibilities, collects samples from across the country on a routine basis and dispatches them to the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, for testing.
Recently, WHO made it mandatory for passengers embarking on international visits to carry a valid polio vaccination certificate.
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