Indus Vitals

As 2024 almost draws to a close, it’s time to assess the year’s progress in healthcare and socio-economic development. Despite satisfactory advancements in various health sectors, the country’s inadequate efforts to protect its most vulnerable citizens – children and infants – have overshadowed these achievements. The year has also seen alarming spikes in infectious diseases like polio and HIV, despite ongoing efforts to combat them. Authorities are expected to set new strategies and targets for the upcoming year, particularly in the health sector, where room for improvement remains open. Official reports indicate a disturbing upward trend in polio virus detection since mid-2023. As of December 24, Pakistan reported 65 new paralytic polio (WPV1) cases in the outgoing year, compared to six in 2023, with approximately 500 polio-positive environmental samples in 2024, up from 126 in 2023. New cases have been reported primarily from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (18), Sindh (18), Balochistan (27)...

By Mukhtar Alam KARACHI: As thousands of polio managers and field workers in Sindh prepare to launch another mass OPV plus vitamin-A campaign on October 28, a data study suggests that authorities in Sindh need to reassess and refine their strategies to combat polio, moving beyond the notion that the Pakhtoon migratory population is solely responsible for the spread of the virus in the province. “The situation requires a more nuanced approach, addressing the root causes of the spread effectively, rather than attributing the problem to a specific ethnic group,” experts said. Startling facts and alarming trends have emerged in Sindh's 12 new human polio cases this year, according to experts working on the subject. - Urdu speaking families: Two cases were reported in Urdu speaking families living in Hyderabad's UC 50 and UC 12, with the virus linked to environmental samples (ES) found positive in Hyderabad (May 2024). - Sindhi ethnic children: Four Sindhi children were de...