Pakistan reports 71st wild poliovirus case of 2024
Pakistan health officials report the confirmation of the detection of the 71st wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) case of 2024 in the country.
This latest case was confirmed in a male child from Jacobabad. The onset of this case was on December 27, 2024. This is the 5th WPV-1 case in Jacobabad in 2024.
The 71 cases reported in 2024 are from the following provinces: 27 are from Balochistan, 21 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 21 from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
So far in 2024, 96 WPV-1 cases have been reported globally (Pakistan-71 and Afghanistan-25).
This compares with 12 cases reported in all of 2023 (6 each in Pakistan and Afghanistan).
The Pakistan Polio Program conducts multiple mass vaccination drives in a year, bringing the vaccine to children at their doorsteps, while the Expanded Program on Immunization provides vaccinations against 12 childhood disease free of charge at health facilities.
The year’s first Polio vaccination campaign is scheduled to be conducted nationwide from February 3 – 9, 2025. It is crucial for parents to ensure vaccination for all their children under the age of five to keep them protected.