Pakistan has confirmed three additional cases of poliovirus. As per the report on Monday, this leads to rising of the total number of infections to 55 this year. The new cases were identified in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, as reported by The Dawn newspaper.
As per the report of The Dawn newspaper, “The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health has confirmed the three wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases. As per the reports, the victims were two girls aged eight and 20 months and a five-month-old boy.
Dera Ismail Khan, has seen a total of six polio cases in 2024, is one of the seven districts in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa identified as polio-endemic. The lab official said, the new cases were reported from Dera Ismail Khan, Zhob and Jaffarabad districts. All of these three districts have already reported the cases of poliovirus this year.
The newspaper further reported, “Dera Ismail Khan, which has now reported six polio cases this year, has been one of the seven polio-endemic districts in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Routine immunisation programmes have faced significant challenges in accessing all vulnerable children in the district during the last three years.”
Similar obstacles exist in Balochistan, where Zhob and Jaffarabad have reported three and two cases, respectively, this year. Of the 55 poliovirus cases reported thus far, 26 originated in Balochistan, 14 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 13 in Sindh, and one each in Punjab and Islamabad.
The latest cases come shortly after a delegation from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The meeting was organized to discuss strategies for combating the ongoing poliovirus outbreak and addressing the emerging challenges in vaccination efforts.
Polio has no cure; however, it can be effectively prevented through multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine. Completing the routine vaccination schedule for all children under five is essential for their protection.
According to the World Health Organization. Only Pakistan and Afghanistan are the two countries in the world where polio remains endemic. This underscores the urgency of ongoing vaccination efforts.
