Pakistan polio total rises to 63 in 2024
Pakistan health authorities confirmed the detection of four wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases in Pakistan, bringing the number of total cases in the country this year to 63.
On Friday, December 13, the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health confirmed one polio case each from DI Khan, Tank, and Jacobabad, where female children are affected, and Sukkur, where a male child is affected.
Pakistan is responding to an intense resurgence of WPV1 this year with 63 cases reported so far. Of these, 26 are from Balochistan, 18 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 17 from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
A large-scale polio vaccination campaign is being held in the country from December 16 to December 22 during which vaccinators will go house to house to immunize more than 44 million children under five in 143 districts against polio. To keep children safe, it is critical for parents to welcome vaccinators among them and bring their children forward for vaccination.
To date, 86 confirmed WPV1 cases have been reported from the two remaining polio endemic countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Polio News: VitriVax Awarded $3.6M Grant, Japan grant to Pakistan