PM directs coordinated polio eradication strategy

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered officials to prepare a joint plan with all four provinces within a week to eliminate polio, Mettis Global reported on November 6. The directive followed a new infection in Khyber district, bringing Pakistan’s total to nine cases this year. He also called for stronger routine immunisation, especially in affected and high-risk locations.

Officials said seven cases were in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and two in Sindh. Three infections were recorded each in Khyber and Bannu, one in North Waziristan, and the Sindh cases were in Karachi East and Sujawal. The meeting was told that all three Khyber cases involved virus strains originating in Afghanistan, while cross-border movement was identified as a factor in spread. The prime minister also instructed the national health officials and eradication team to meet provincial leaders, and said secure, uninterrupted access for vaccinators remained a priority.