Latest news with #NationalInstituteofHealth
Hans India
an hour ago
- Health
- Hans India
Pakistan confirms 11th polio case of 2025
Islamabad: Pakistan has confirmed its 11th case of wild poliovirus this year after the virus was detected in a child from the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination said in a statement on Monday. According to the ministry, the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health in Islamabad confirmed the presence of the virus in stool samples collected from a child in Diamer district. The detection came shortly after the conclusion of the third nationwide polio vaccination campaign of the year, which took place from May 26 to June 1. The campaign reached more than 45 million children under the age of five across 159 districts, including high-risk areas, according to health officials. Health officials have urged parents and caregivers to ensure their children receive multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine, calling the current campaign a vital opportunity to shield children from the crippling virus, Xinhua news agency reported. Pakistan reported 74 polio cases in 2024, according to official data. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries in the world where wild poliovirus remains endemic. Polio workers have frequently been targeted in attacks, particularly in the northwest and southwest regions. One of the reasons for the presence of the virus is the refusal of the majority of people to have their children vaccinated. Polio health workers have been victims of targeted killings and attacks by militant groups, who have opposed anti-polio campaigns in the country. According to the World Health Organization, Polio is a highly infectious viral disease that largely affects children under 5 years of age. The virus is transmitted by person-to-person spread mainly through the faecal-oral route or, less frequently, by a common vehicle (e.g. contaminated water or food) and multiplies in the intestine, from where it can invade the nervous system and cause paralysis. In 1988, the World Health Assembly adopted a resolution for the worldwide eradication of polio, marking the launch of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, spearheaded by national governments, WHO, Rotary International, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), UNICEF, and later joined by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Wild poliovirus cases have decreased by over 99 per cent since 1988, from an estimated 350,000 cases in more than 125 endemic countries to 6 reported cases in 2021. Of the 3 strains of wild poliovirus (type 1, type 2 and type 3), wild poliovirus type 2 was eradicated in 1999, and wild poliovirus type 3 was eradicated in 2020. As of 2022, endemic wild poliovirus type 1 remains in two countries: Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Arab News
5 hours ago
- Health
- Arab News
Pakistan reports first-ever polio case in northern Gilgit-Baltistan, bringing 2025 tally to 11
KARACHI: Pakistan has detected the first-ever polio virus case in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, bringing this year's tally to 11 cases, the polio eradication program said on Monday. Polio is a paralyzing disease that has no cure. Multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and completion of the routine vaccination schedule for all children under the age of 5 are essential to provide children high immunity against the disease. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the last two countries in the world where polio remains endemic. The country reported 74 polio cases in 2024. 'The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health has confirmed a new case of wild poliovirus in District Diamer, Gilgit-Baltistan,' the polio eradication program said in a statement. 'This is the first case of wild poliovirus reported from Gilgit-Baltistan and the eleventh confirmed case in Pakistan this year.' Pakistan concluded a nationwide polio vaccination campaign on June 1. The drive had aimed to inoculate 45 million children under the age of five across 159 districts of the country. In the early 1990s, Pakistan reported around 20,000 polio cases annually. By 2018, that number had dropped to just eight. In 2021, only one case was reported, and six cases were recorded in 2023. Pakistan's polio eradication program began in 1994, but efforts have been repeatedly undermined by misinformation and resistance from some religious hard-liners. These groups claim that immunization is a foreign plot to sterilize Muslim children or a cover for Western espionage. Militant groups have also frequently attacked polio vaccination teams and the security personnel assigned to protect them. Last week, a Pakistani police officer was killed when gunmen opened fire on a team of health workers conducting a door-to-door polio vaccination campaign in the southwestern Balochistan province.
Business Recorder
5 hours ago
- Health
- Business Recorder
Gilgit-Baltistan registers first case of polio this year
Gilgit-Baltistan reported its first case of wild poliovirus in District Diamer, the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health confirmed on Monday. This is the 11th case in Pakistan this year. The third nationwide polio vaccination campaign began on May 26, and concluded on Sunday. 'The campaign successfully reached over 45 million children under five years of age across 159 districts, including high-risk areas of the country,' the Pakistan's Polio Eradication Programme said in a notification. Earlier, President Asif Ali Zardari urged the citizens, including the media, teachers, religious scholars and the community, to create awareness and extend their support to the polio vaccination drive and dispel the allied misconceptions to achieve a polio-free Pakistan. 'I call on parents to open their doors to vaccinators, ensuring every child receives the life-saving polio drops. I urge teachers, religious leaders, and community elders to champion this noble cause, dispelling myths and building trust. I appeal to the media to amplify the truth: the polio vaccine is safe, effective, and our best weapon,' the president Tuesday said in his message on the occasion of the countrywide polio eradication campaign launched on Monday targeting 45.4 million under-five children.
Express Tribune
6 hours ago
- Health
- Express Tribune
Pakistan records 11th polio case of 2025, first in Gilgit-Baltistan
A health worker administers polio drops to a child during a door-to-door vaccination campaign amidst heavy snow in the Bakwali-Surgan area of Azad Jammu Kashmir's Neelum Valley, on February 4, 2025. (AFP Listen to article Health authorities in Pakistan have confirmed a new case of wild poliovirus in the Diamer district of Gilgit-Baltistan, marking the first instance of the virus reported from the region. The case, verified by the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH), is the eleventh confirmed case of wild poliovirus in the country so far in 2025. Afghanistan and Pakistan remain the only two countries in the world where polio is still endemic. READ MORE: Saudi Arabia commits $500m to end polio in Pakistan, Afghanistan The announcement came shortly after the conclusion of Pakistan's third nationwide polio vaccination campaign of the year, which began on 26 May and ended on Sunday. The campaign reached over 45 million children under the age of five across 159 districts, including many considered high-risk for the virus. Polio is a highly infectious viral disease with no cure. It can cause irreversible paralysis, particularly in young children. Health experts stress that repeated doses of the oral polio vaccine are the only effective way to protect children against the disease. Health officials have renewed calls for parents and caregivers to ensure their children do not miss any immunisation opportunities. Every dose administered, they say, helps build stronger immunity and safeguards children from the lifelong consequences of polio. READ: Abducted polio worker recovered The virus remains a threat in Pakistan, which registered 74 cases in 2024 alone. 'This case is a stark reminder that polio remains a threat,' said an official from Pakistan's polio eradication programme. 'No child should be left behind.' Authorities continue to rely on community engagement to ensure full coverage and prevent any resurgence of the virus. Last week, a police constable was martyred and another officer injured when unidentified assailants opened fire on a polio vaccination team in Nushki, Balochistan, on Tuesday. The team was conducting routine immunisation work when the attack occurred. Polio teams in Pakistan have frequently been targeted in deadly attacks, particularly in remote or conflict-affected areas. Read: Two polio workers kidnapped in K-P's Tank district President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the incident, reaffirming the government's commitment to protecting health workers and continuing the fight against polio.
Forbes
3 days ago
- Health
- Forbes
How To Stop Doomscrolling: Gen Z Strategies For Regaining Focus
Doomscrolling, the compulsive and semi-addictive consumption of negative news and social media content, is robbing workers of productivity - and Gen Z is leading the charge to regain online focus. Social media platforms, like TikTok, Instagram and X are designed to exploit our natural 'negativity bias', and creating addictive feedback loops. The end result? Doomscrolling can create irritability, a sense of polarization, lower productivity and time-sucking distraction. In rebuttal to the outrage economy, where snark, fear and FOMO dominate the social media landscape, Gen Z is taking action and leading the way towards a more sane approach to the world of social media. Turns out that disengagement from doomscrolling is helping people to break from anxiety and discover greater resilience. Is this really a good idea? In the U.K., a survey of Gen Z and Gen Alpha discovered that nearly 50% of people polled would prefer growing up without the internet, with a large portion welcoming a social media curfew. The Offline Club of Instagram has over 500,000 followers - kind of ironic that a club promoting a break from social media lives on (wait for it) social media. 'Swap screen time for real time,' is the mantra for the club's members, inviting folks to 'unplug, connect, relax and have fun'. Is that your emotional experience when doomscrolling? (Me either). Have you ever experienced the desire to just 'check out' for a minute, scrolling on the flashlight that brings the bad news in a moment of boredom? (Guilty). Then, two hours later, you realize that you still aren't finished the internet - and the timehole of doomscrolling has stolen hours from your day? According to the National Institute of Health, social media operates on a variable-ratio schedule, much like a slot machine. It's human nature to seek rewards, and the search for new discoveries - such as a like, a comment, a new follower or a humorous meme - leverages our nature into a never-ending search for more rewards, more likes, more memes. It's a straight-up recipe for less productivity, stolen focus, disconnection and avoidance of human conversation. Have you ever fallen into the misunderstanding that likes are the equivalent of social status? Popularity and wisdom are two very different things. The constant bombardment of negative news and polarized opinions can lead to a distorted view of the world, making users believe that humanity is more hostile or divided than it truly is. This contributes to increased anxiety, cynicism, and even hopelessness. How's that emotional smorgasbord helping you to perform better at work, be more present for the relationships you care about, and access your best self? Algorithms prioritize engagement, not well-being, according to Pew Research. What keeps us hooked doesn't necessarily feed our souls, and distraction is the enemy of creativity. Content that keeps you scrolling isn't necessarily content that provides useful information or, quite frankly (checks Instagram to confirm suspicions) anything that's real. Information overload reduces our attention span, makes focusing difficult and causes lost productivity at work. Gen Z is awakening to the ruse, and the illusion of connection, and new movements are stepping away from the scroll in an effort to rediscover what really matters. Here are three ways that Gen Z is backing away from doomscrolling and the pitfalls of social media over-use: What are your digital boundaries? When you are interrupted, it takes over 23 minutes to regain your train of thought, according to scientific studies. This 'resumption lag' has been well-documented. While emails and Slack alerts can cause these kinds of breaks, what happens when we create self-inflicted wounds to our productivity, via doomscrolling? Task-switching can cause significant loss in productivity - but sometimes, it's just part of the job. Managing distraction is an important aspect of time management - and deciding what you let in to your productive time. Are you seeking escape from the daily grind, only to find frustration, negativity and impossible AI-generated videos …when what you really need is to stay on task? You are not alone! Digital boundaries are the key to stopping the doomscrolling, and limiting the negative impact of social media. While the web can provide quite literally a world of information, as well as insights offered up by AI, it can also provide you with a mental cesspool of fake images, negative narratives and polarizing posts. What do you want to include in your life, your work, and your career? Balance, and boundaries, can keep you focused in your career. What do you want to allow into your life? Gen Z is taking steps to regain a stolen focus, and replace doomscrolling with a mindful and deliberate return to greater connection.
