World Polio Day is being celebrated globally, but Pakistan has thus far been unsuccessful in eradicating the virus. Despite extensive vaccination campaigns, the virus continues to spread rapidly.

According to data shared by the health department, four cases have been reported this year, with 11 new positive environmental samples detected in seven cities, including Karachi, this month. This brings the total for this year to 54 cases.

The caretaker health ministry has decided to conduct another polio campaign in Karachi after a new case and samples were found in the sewerage system.

In a briefing presided over by interim Sindh Health Minister Saad Khalid Niaz, EOC Coordinator for Sindh Irshad Sodhar said that the vaccination drive would be conducted from October 30 to November 5.

In a statement, he said that efforts were under way to stem the virus spread in and out of the provincial capital of Sindh. Vaccination drops were being administered to the passengers travelling in buses and trains.

Last week, the Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme reported that wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) was found in five sewage samples taken from four districts of the country. The Pakistan Polio Laboratory at the National Institute of Health notified that the virus was isolated from two samples collected from Karachi on September 26 and one sample each collected from Rawalpindi and Chaman on October 2 and Peshawar on October 4.

The results of vaccination in the recent polio campaign were satisfactory, the statement said and added that there were some areas where more vaccination was needed.

“Parents should give compulsory vaccination to their children to protect them from polio,” the caretaker health minister said and added that Pakistan can be made a polio-free state only with the cooperation of parents with the polio team.

Niaz went on to add that the resumption of an anti-polio campaign in the city was inevitable after the diagnosis of a confirmed polio case and samples obtained from sewage.

He reiterated that parents who have given polio vaccine to their children should re-vaccinate their children to protect them from the crippling disease.

On Sunday, caretaker Health Minister Nadeem Jan announced a three-pronged strategy to stem the spread of poliovirus in the country as Pakistan aims to become polio-free country.