Progress towards poliomyelitis eradication - Pakistan, January 2020-July 2021

ABSTRACT

This report describes Pakistan's progress towards polio eradication during January 2020-July 2021 and updates previous reports. In 2020, Pakistan reported 84 wild polio virus 1 (WPV1) cases,a 43% reduction from 2019. As of 25 August 2020, Pakistan had reported only one case of WPV1. Circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV) has emerged as a result of attenuated oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) virus regaining neurovirulence after prolonged circulation in under-immunized populations;this can result in paralysis. In Pakistan, 22 cases of cVDPV type 2(cVDPV2) were reported in 2019, 135 cases were reported in 2020, and 8 cases have been reported in 2021 to date. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, planned supplementary immunization activities (SIAs) were suspended during mid-March-June 2020;however, 7 SIAs were implemented during July 2020-July 2021 with a nonsubstantial decrease in SIA quality. Improving the quality of polio SIAs, vaccinating immigrants from Afghanistan and implementing changes to enhance programme accountability and performance would help the Pakistan polio programme achieve its goal of interrupting WPV1 transmission by the end of 2022.