Pakistan:  polio infrastructure supports earthquake relief efforts

Following the devastating earthquake to hit Pakistan on 8 October, the polio eradication infrastructure at the country level responded immediately to provide vital relief support.

Among the first relief-workers on the scene, more than 50 polio eradication epidemiologists and surveillance officers arrived in the worst-affected areas the very next day after the earthquake.  The polio aid workers were equipped with 15 vehicles, radio equipment, satellite phones, as well as vital medicines, vaccines, potable water tanks and sleeping bags. 

The immediate focus was on conducting a rapid assessment of the extent of the devastation and communicating this important information back to Islamabad, to allow more effective relief planning.  The polio eradication staff also provided critical emergency rescue and first aid work, setting up treatment camps and transporting patients to the treatment camps.  The subsequent focus was on establishing early warning systems for diseases and potential outbreaks, as well as developing outbreak preparedness plans.  The polio staff also planned and helped implement large-scale immunization campaigns, vaccinating children in the worst-hit areas against measles, tetanus and polio. 

The extensive polio eradication network at country-level frequently helps in providing immediate support to natural disasters such as the recent Pakistan earthquake, or the Southeast Asia tsunami in December 2004, as well as in responding to health emergencies and outbreaks (including SARS, avian influenza, Marburg fever in Angola and Ebola outbreaks).  The global polio eradication network is uniquely equipped across countries with both international and national professional staff, allowing for immediate support to emergency response.  The polio network is able to provide rapid assessment and early logistical and operational support.  With local knowledge of communities, health systems and government structures, the polio network's technical capacity in disease surveillance and planning of large-scale operations is often at the forefront of international and national relief efforts.

The Global Eradication of Polio