Pakistan's polio surge in 2024: Two additional cases confirmed
Pakistan’s Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health reports the confirmation of two additional wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases in the country.
The lab confirmed one polio case each from Tank and Kashmore. This is the fourth polio case from Tank and the second case from Kashmore this year.
This brings the number of total cases in the country this year to 67 (compared to 6 in 2023).
Of the 67 cases reported year to date, they are distributed as follows: 27 are from Balochistan, 19 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 19 from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
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.
A large-scale sub-national Polio vaccination campaign was conducted last week in Punjab, Sindh, KP, AJK, GB and Islamabad, vaccinating over 42 million children. The second phase of the campaign is scheduled to begin on December 30, covering the Balochistan province. To keep children safe, it is critical for parents to welcome vaccinators among them and bring their children forward for vaccination.
This brings the global total to 92 cases (Afghanistan has reported 25 cases to date).