World Polio Day 2024 The theme for this year, ``World Polio Day 2022 and Beyond: A healthier future for mothers and children'', with discussions in G

World Polio Day 2024

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The theme for this year, ``World Polio Day 2022 and Beyond: A healthier future for mothers and children'', with discussions in Geneva between WHO, Rotary International and polio experts, to consider future efforts to continue the decades-long collaboration against polio.24-Oct-2022World Polio Day, observed worldwide on the 24th of October annually to raise awareness of the significance of polio vaccination to protect every child from this devastating disease. On this day, various local, national, and international healthcare organizations, including the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Rotary International, Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Gavi, the vaccine alliance come together and conduct several events, campaigns, vaccinations and educational programs to create awareness about the importance of providing vaccines to children to eradicate polio.

Importance of World Polio Day: Polio (Poliomyelitis) is a highly viral infectious disease, mainly affecting children under five. The virus is spread from person to person, mainly through the faecal-oral pathway or, less frequently, by a shared object (such as contaminated food or water). It multiplies in the intestine; from where it can enter the nervous system and cause paralysis. There are cases of paralytic poliomyelitis due to a loss of viral attenuation in the oral polio vaccine (OPV), known as vaccine-associated paralytic poliovirus (VAPP). Vaccine-associated paralytic poliovirus (VAPP) is very rare, occurring approximately 3.8 times per lakhs of cases in countries using the oral poliovirus vaccine. Over the past 35 years, cases of wild poliovirus have decreased by more than 99%, from 3,50,000 cases per year to less than ten annual cases of wild polio. 80% of variant polio cases are in only four sub national regions.

Polio is a highly spreading disease affected by the polio virus. Although very rare, the virus may damage the parts of the brain, which can cause death. World Polio Day was established to eradicate polio worldwide and to ensure a polio-free future for everyone, develop high immunization coverage, implement high-quality observation to detect any presence of the virus and plan for an outbreak response.

World Polio Day was created and celebrated by Rotary International to commemorate the birthday of Jonas Salk, the medical researcher who led the first team to develop a polio vaccine. In 1955, he created the Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine. In 1962, Albert Sabin created the Oral Polio Vaccine. In 1988, World Health Assembly committed to eliminate the poliovirus, at the time, there were around 3, 50,000 cases worldwide. In 2002, WHO European Region was declared polio-free since then on October 24; the World Polio Day is celebrated worldwide.

Polio is a highly infectious that can lead to paralysis and even death in severe cases. Here are the key measures for preventing polio: Intake of timely vaccination (Immunization).Being sure to receive any required booster doses of the vaccine. Improving hygiene and sanitation. Covering the mouth while sneezing or coughing. Public awareness and education

CM Murad decides to enlist lawmakers, ulema in fight against polio. Amid calls for a thorough and transparent assessment of the polio eradication program, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah chaired meetings on Thursday where he expressed the government’s resolve for zero tolerance towards parents refusing vaccine drops for their children. He also announced the engagement of elected members and civil society members in the upcoming anti-polio campaign starting from October 28.

The meetings of the Provincial Task Force on Polio and another held in connection with World Polio Day took place at the CM House. The country has so far reported 40 polio cases, including 12 in Sindh. The Task Force meeting began with a detailed briefing on the current polio status and ongoing preparations for the upcoming campaign (October 28-November 3).Says Sindh plans to vaccinate 10.6m children in upcoming campaign. Participants were informed that 10.6 million children under the age of five would be targeted in the 30 districts during the upcoming drive (October 28-November 3). Moreover, 9.5m children between the ages of six months and five years will receive Vitamin A capsules. The campaign will begin in the Mirpurkhas Division (Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Tharparkar) on Friday (October 25), while the rest of the 27 districts will start the campaign on Monday (October 28). A total of 80,000 frontline workers will participate in this campaign.

To a question, the chief minister was informed that 11,896 out of 39,908 refusals were approached during the special missed children coverage activity, which represents 30 per cent of refusals. A total of 5,764 (48pc of the approached refusals) and 51,448 ‘not available’ children were tracked and vaccinated. This time, there will be zero tolerance against refusal cases. I have decided to engage parliamentarians, other elected members, civil society, and the ulema in the drive,” the chief minister stated during the meeting. He instructed the deputy commissioners to ensure the administration of the polio vaccine to children, emphasizing that failure to meet this target will not be tolerated. Mr Shah also stated that the SSPs have been given clear instructions to provide appropriate security to the polio teams so that they can achieve their targets. During the meeting, he announced the adjournment of the ongoing provincial assembly session to allow all members to actively participate in administering polio drops to children under the age of five in their respective constituencies.

At the World Polio Day gathering, the chief minister said that the provincial government, in collaboration with its national and international partners, was committed to eradicating polio from the province. He recalled that Prime Minister Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto launched the polio eradication campaign in 1994.

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“Three decades have passed since that campaign, but unfortunately, we are still struggling against polio to save the future of our children. So far this year, 40 polio cases have been reported in the country, including 12 in Sindh, 20 in Balochistan, six in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and one in Punjab. Afghanistan has reported 23 cases,” he said. According to him, the frequent movement of people from Afghanistan to Pakistan and between provinces is one of the reasons behind the resurgence of polio cases. In her remarks, Dr Pechuho said the provincial government was committed to using every available resource to ensure that every child receives the life-saving drops. “Our special focus remains on high-risk districts and hard-to-reach communities, with thousands of frontline workers actively engaged in ongoing vaccination campaigns,” she said.

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