Pakistan reports 4 additional polio cases last week, brings total to 21

In a follow-up on the wild poliovirus situation in Pakistan this year, the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health, Islamabad confirmed four additional WPV-1 cases last week.

On Wednesday, officials reported confirming the detection of WPV1 in a 2-year-old child from Union Council Qadriabad of District Quetta.

On Friday, officials reported three additional confirmed WPV-1 cases in children from Killa Abdullah in Balochistan, Karachi Kemari in Sindh, and Mohmand in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (the 1st case from KP). This brings the total number of children affected by polio to 21, to date in 2024.

The Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication, Ms Ayesha Raza Farooq appealed to every parent and caregiver across the country to vaccinate their children against polio, a tragic disease that is silently threatening to disable future generations.

“Every new case is a child with a name, a face and a life that is forever altered by the crippling impact of polio, she said. “It is heartbreaking to witness these new cases, especially in areas where the virus continues to silently spread. Every new case is a new child whose life will forever be affected by a tragic disease for which there is a simple solution through vaccination,” she said.

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To combat this alarming situation, the government has updated its National Polio Eradication Emergency Operations Plan to get to zero cases. Priority focus is to address the critical gaps in campaign quality, including access, migrant mobile populations, vaccine acceptance and service delivery for the upcoming campaigns in 2024. Before the end of the year, Pakistan will implement two large-scale, house-to-house campaigns which remain crucial to closing the current immunity gaps and reversing the spread of the virus.

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National Coordinator for the Polio Emergency Operations Centre, Mr Muhammad Anwarul Haq reiterated that the fact that polio has once again affected children in Karachi and Balochistan, and has now reached KP, is a stark reminder of the critical importance of vaccination. “Every new child affected by polio is a stark reminder of the gaps in the walls of immunity,” he said. "The fact that too many children are still missing their opportunity of vaccination through campaigns and through their routine immunization is the responsibility of us all.”

Year to date, 40 WPV-1 cases have been reported globally—Pakistan (21) and Afghanistan (19).

Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by poliovirus mainly affecting children under the age of five years. It invades the nervous system and can cause paralysis or even death. While there is no cure for polio, vaccination is the most effective way to protect children from this crippling disease. Each time a child under the age of five is vaccinated, their protection against the virus is increased. Repeated immunisations have protected millions of children from polio, allowing almost all countries in the world to become polio-free. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two remaining polio endemic countries globally.