Pakistan polio death toll rises to 26 as two more children become infected

• Latest cases were reported in Sindh’s Karachi East and Sujawal districts.
• Prime Minister’s focus on polio eradication laments the rise in polio cases.
• “Heartbreaking that children are still at risk of polio”: Farooq
  

ISLAMABAD: Two new cases of the polio virus have been reported in Pakistan, taking the country’s annual toll to 26 amid a sharp increase in the spread of the crippling disease despite authorities’ stringent efforts to eradicate polio.

Polio is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus that mainly affects children under the age of five who are malnourished or have weak immunity because they have not been vaccinated or have not been vaccinated against polio and other childhood diseases.

The disease invades the nervous system and causes paralysis or even death. Although there is no cure for polio, vaccination is the most effective way to protect children from this devastating disease.

The resurgence of polio in the country is a major setback in the country’s efforts to eradicate the disease as officials work to boost vaccination campaigns and raise public awareness of the importance of vaccination.

Pakistan is one of two remaining polio-endemic countries in the world, along with Afghanistan, and the number of annual cases has declined significantly in the country.

The latest cases, reported from Karachi’s East and Sujawal, were confirmed by the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health, The News was mentioned.

These mark the first cases of the year for both regions.

According to the report, a seven-year-old girl was paralyzed by the polio virus in East district and a 12-month-old boy in Tehsil Jati of Sujawal district.

“It is heartbreaking that Pakistan’s children continue to be threatened by a disease that can be easily prevented with the help of a readily available polio vaccine,” said Ayesha Raza Farooq, Prime Minister’s Focal Point for Polio Eradication.

He stressed that once a child is paralyzed by polio, the damage is irreversible, but repeated vaccinations can prevent it.

Farooq stressed the urgency of the situation, calling on parents, community leaders and teachers to act quickly.

Pakistan’s polio program has drawn up a strategic plan to curb the transmission of the virus, aiming to halt its spread by mid-2025. The plan, developed in consultation with provincial authorities, focuses on reaching every child in areas high risk, improving the quality of the vaccination campaign and enhancing community participation.

A recent mass vaccination campaign in September targeted 33 million children under the age of five in 115 regions. Another round is scheduled to begin on October 28, with officials stressing the need to reach out to both mobile populations and migrants.

Of the 26 polio cases reported this year, 15 are from Balochistan, seven from Sindh, two from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.