Pakistan reports 69th wild poliovirus case of 2024
Global total is 94 for last year
Officials with the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health has confirmed the detection of the 69th wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) case of 2024 from the country.
On January 7, the lab confirmed a case from Tank, making it the 5th case from the district in 2024.
The 69 cases are distributed to the following provinces: 27 are from Balochistan, 21 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 19 from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
This brings the global wild poliovirus tally for 2024 to 94 (including 25 in Afghanistan).
The Pakistan Polio Program conducts multiple mass vaccination drives in a year, bringing the vaccine to children at their doorsteps, while the Expanded Programme on Immunization provides vaccinations against 12 childhood disease free of charge at health facilities. It is crucial for parents to ensure vaccination for all their children under the age of five to keep them protected.
The year’s first Polio vaccination campaign is scheduled to be conducted nationwide from February 3 – 9, 2025. To keep children safe, it is critical for parents to welcome vaccinators among them and bring their children forward for vaccination.