Latest polio case in Hyderabad takes Pakistan’s tally to 24 this year

• A two-and-a-half-year-old child was diagnosed with poliomyelitis virus.
• The latest polio case comes a day after KP reported its 2nd case.
• Increase in cases leading to increased scrutiny of eradication efforts.
  

KARACHI: The total number of polio cases recorded in Pakistan this year rose to 24 on Saturday after a two-and-a-half-year-old child from Hyderabad, Sindh was diagnosed with the virus.

According to sources at the National Emergency Operations Center, the child, who hails from Hyderabad’s Nerunkot district, was paralyzed by the virus, marking the second case of polio in the city.

The latest case in Hyderabad brings the total number of children in the province affected by the current outbreak of the polio virus to five.

The latest case of polio comes a day after authorities confirmed that a 10-month-old girl in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kohat district was diagnosed with the virus, marking the northwestern province’s second case this year.

The infant from Tehsil Darra Adamkhel had contracted wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) which left him paralyzed on September 12.

Prior to this, authorities had confirmed that a 30-month-old boy from Pisin, Balochistan, was stricken with the polio virus, marking the province’s 15th case this year.

All these cases were reported within this week marking an almost daily increase in the number of polio cases, leading to increased scrutiny of polio eradication efforts in the country.

So far, Balochistan remains the epicenter of the outbreak with 15 confirmed cases, while Sindh has now reported five. Additionally, Punjab and Islamabad have recorded one case each, while KP has reported two.

Earlier this week, Muhammad Anwarul Haq, the national coordinator for the Polio Emergency Operations Center, stressed the urgent need to address gaps in efforts to combat the disease.

“Every vaccination missed is an opportunity for the virus to win,” he warned.

Calling for collective action by both the government and the public, Haq stressed that the solution lies in ensuring timely and repeated vaccinations for all children.

Meanwhile, Ayesha Raza Farooq, the prime minister’s focal point for polio eradication, also expressed dismay at the lack of progress and vaccination coverage as a result of parents’ refusals, often due to misinformation or mistrust.

The Pakistan Polio Eradication Program organized an anti-polio campaign in 115 districts of the country this month, during which 33 million children under the age of five were vaccinated against polio.

However, the program continues to face significant challenges, particularly in areas where insecurity, misinformation and parental refusals hinder vaccination campaigns.

Despite these obstacles, authorities have updated the National Polio Emergency Eradication Operations Plan and planned two major door-to-door vaccination campaigns later this year in an effort to stop the spread of the virus.