Pakistan polio virus toll reaches 40 with cases reported in Kohat, KP

• A second case of polio was reported in Kohat district.
• The last two cases of the disease were reported from Sindh.
• Balochistan reports the highest number of cases in Pakistan.
  

Islamabad: The polio virus continues to spread in Pakistan with the total number of cases reaching 40 this year.

The latest case of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) was reported from Dara Adam Khel tehsil in Kohat district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where a 30-month-old infant was diagnosed with the disease. The News he said on Thursday citing the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Islamabad.

This is the second laboratory-confirmed case of polio from KP’s Kohat district on Wednesday, October 23, raising alarm over the continued spread of the disease.

Genetic sequencing of samples collected from the child is underway to further understand the spread and lineage of the virus.

So far in 2024, Pakistan has reported 40 polio cases, with Balochistan accounting for half of them. It is followed by Sindh with 12 cases, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with six and Punjab and Islamabad with one case each.

The increase in cases from Kohat is particularly worrying as four environmental samples from the area also tested positive for WPV1 this year.

The first case of polio from Kohat was reported in September, indicating continued presence and circulation of the virus in the region.

The latest two cases of polio were reported from Sindh, according to the National Emergency Operations Center (EOC).

The emergence of new cases in Pakistan shows the extent of the deterioration of the polio virus crisis in Pakistan.

The cases reported from Sindh were two young children — a boy from Mirpurkhas and a girl from Sanghar. Both were the first known cases of the disease in their respective regions this year.

According to PEI officials in Islamabad, Sindh is facing an increase in transmission of the virus, particularly after several environmental samples from Mirpurkhas tested positive for WPV1 earlier this year. After Balochistan recorded 20 cases.

At least three children have also been reported to have died of the disease this year in Pakistan, according to National EOC sources. These victims belonged to Karachi and Balochistan.

The EOC sources said the child, Abdullah, who died of polio virus hailed from Karachi’s Bin Qasim town in Malir district. While the other two children belonged to Killa Saifullah and Quetta of Balochistan.

The government, on the other hand, is set to launch a nationwide anti-polio vaccine campaign from October 28, the EOC said.

Misinformation and conspiracy theories continue to fuel vaccine hesitancy across Pakistan, especially in areas such as Balochistan and KP.

Many parents refuse polio vaccines because of unfounded myths, such as the false claim that the vaccines cause infertility or are part of an alien conspiracy. These unfounded fears, spread through social media and local communities, have led to widespread vaccine refusals.

PEI officials urge parents to rely on scientific evidence and consult with health professionals.

“Vaccines are safe and necessary to protect children from paralysis. Listening to conspiracy theories puts children at grave risk,” the official added.