ISLAMABAD, July 1 (Xinhua) -- The outbreak of COVID-19 in Pakistan has affected the country's polio eradication efforts and health experts fear that the temporary cancellation of anti-polio immunization campaign may result in rise of polio cases in the country, local media reported Wednesday.
Pakistan is one of the very few countries in the world where polio disease still exists, and many international donors have been helping the country to overcome the disease.
Dawn News said that the government has told the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB), the top world body about the disease, that though the authorities want to continue the polio eradication campaign, the community is not willing to open their doors to health workers to administer polio drops to their kids due to fear of contracting the novel coronavirus.
The government also said that due to the suspension of vaccine, a surge in diseases which can be prevented by vaccine, including measles, has been witnessed, and a rise in polio cases may also be seen, according to the report.
In a virtual meeting with the IMB on Tuesday, Special Assistant to Pakistani Prime Minister on Health Zafar Mirza said that COVID-19 had an unprecedented impact on Pakistani economy, and all polio eradication activities in the country have been suspended since March when COVID-19 cases started rising.
He also sought guidance from the world body to eliminate the disease, and reiterated the country's commitment to ensuring a paralysis-free future for the children.
According to the country's National Institute of Health, the country's tally of the crippling disease rose to 56 this year, after another polio case was reported last month in northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Enditem
