In a development, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on Thursday reported another case of polio disease in Pakistan, raising the total number of cases to 2024 to 73.
The newest case was confirmed in Sindh’s Thatta today, marking the region’s first case, although samples for testing were collected last year.
So far, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have confirmed 22 cases of each disease with Balochistan being the worst hit with 27 cases. Punjab and Islamabad reported only one case, according to the Emergency Operations Center (EOC).
On Wednesday, a polio case was detected in Dera Ismail Khan, bringing the district’s tally to 11. Health officials said the latest victim is a girl from the area, with samples collected on December 31, 2024.
A day earlier, the regional polio eradication reference laboratory at NIH confirmed the 71st case in Jacobabad, Sindh.
To address the resurgence, Pakistan’s Civilization Eradication Program, in collaboration with the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI), continues to conduct national mass vaccination campaigns.
EPI also provides free immunization services against 12 childhood diseases free of charge at health facilities across the country.
The first national polio vaccination campaign is scheduled from February 3 to February 9, 2025.
Health authorities have called on parents to ensure that all children under five receive the vaccine during the campaign.
Pakistan is one of the world’s two war-torn countries, along with Afghanistan, and the number of cases each year had declined significantly in the country until the recent surge in cases.
The Pakistan Polio Eradication Program explains that polio is a “paralyzing” disease with “no cure” and “completion of routine vaccination for all children under the age of five” merely gives them “high immunity against this terrible disease”.
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