Pakistan launches another nationwide polio vaccination Campaign on Monday. The campaign aims to protect 45 million children from polio, a disease caused by a virus that mainly affects nerves in the spinal cord or brain stem. This is the third polio campaign of the year and will continue till Sunday.

Ayesha Raza Farooq, adviser to the prime minister for the polio eradication programme, said the campaign is “in response to the alarming increase in polio cases.” “We are re-energized in our efforts to combat polio,” Farooq said in a statement.

An AP report said that during the door-to-door campaign, children under 5 years of age will be vaccinated and given vitamin A supplement drops to boost their immunity. Anwarul Haq, coordinator of the National Emergency Operations Center for Polio Eradication, also urged parents to fully cooperate with polio workers. “There is no cure for polio, but it can be prevented with this easily available vaccine,” he said.

Farooq said that so far this year in Pakistan, 41 cases of polio have been registered in 71 districts. Most of these were reported from south-western Balochistan and southern Sindh province.

Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries in the world where the spread of polio has never stopped. According to World Health Organization data, there have been 23 confirmed cases in Afghanistan this year. This is up from six cases in 2023.

To protect your child from polio, it is important that you get them vaccinated. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says polio vaccination has been a part of the routine childhood vaccination program.

There are different types of polio vaccines, inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) and oral polio vaccine (OPV). IPV is the only polio vaccine offered in the United States since 2000. OPV is used in other countries. In India, OPV has been used exclusively since 1978, however, IPV has recently been added to India’s national immunization schedule. OPV is also continuing.

Why is it important to get vaccinated against polio?

It is important to get your child vaccinated against polio as it provides protection against the disease. It also protects your child from:

• having polio, a potentially serious disease
• Development of lifelong paralysis from polio.

The risk of lifelong paralysis is very serious. Even children who recover completely may develop new muscle pain, weakness, or paralysis later as adults. This can happen after 15 to 40 years. About 2 to 10 out of 100 children paralyzed by polio die. This is because the virus affects the muscles that help them breathe.

Get the latest news live on Times Now with breaking news and top headlines from around the world.