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Pakistan

Pakistan: Polio Update - June 2017

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June 2017 marks the end of the 2016/2017 low season for poliovirus transmission. From September 2016 to May 2017 the Pakistan Polio Eradication Initiative conducted nine high-quality supplementary immunization activities (SIAs), achieving a steady increase in the population immunity against wild poliovirus. Across Pakistan, the proportion of vaccinated children increased from 85% in August 2016 to 92% in May 2017, according to in-dependent post-campaign monitoring.

At the start of the high season of polio transmission, Pakistan is well-positioned to respond to remaining gaps and challenges. The current polio epidemiology remains the best we have ever seen in the country. The number of cases has declined from 306 in 2014 to 53 in 2015, and to 20 in 2016. As of June 2017, the number of polio cases reported in Pakistan was three. The most recent polio case this year was reported on 11 June from the Killa Abdulla district of Baluchistan. This is the first case this year reported from the core reservoir of the Quetta Block.

Despite the record low number of new cases, the environmental surveillance system indicates the virus remains a serious threat to children, with the proportion of positive samples reaching 15 per cent as of June this year compared to 9 per cent as of June 2016. In particular, the transmission has in-creased in the Quetta block, Karachi and the twin cities of Islamabad-Rawalpindi. The programme is systematically addressing and responding to these challenges by focusing on reaching missed chil-dren and continuously improving campaign quality.

The end of the 2016/2017 low season for poliovirus transmission also marks the start of the next Na-tional Emergency Action Plan (NEAP), implemented via focused Emergency Operations Centres at national and provincial levels. Among key delivera-bles for 2017/2018 are implementation of nine high-quality Supplemental Immunization Activities (SIAs) with continued focus on the core reservoirs, closer coordination with Afghanistan, and imple-mentation of a revamped High-Risk and Mobile Population (HRMP) strategy with the goal of ensur-ing vulnerable populations are systematically in-corporated in micro plans and vaccinated.