Polio cases rise to 41 after another child paralyzed in Balochistan

• The highest number of polio viruses in Balochistan stands at 21.
• A 42-month-old girl presented with paralysis on October 8.
• PEI official urges parents to vaccinate children against virus.

ISLAMABAD: Continuing the alarming spread of the polio virus, the country’s total toll for the current year has risen to 41 following the detection of wild polio virus type 1 (WPV1) in a 42-month-old girl from Loralai district, Balochistan. The News reported on Saturday.

The Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) said the child experienced the onset of paralysis on October 8 and laboratory tests on Friday confirmed he had been infected with WPV1.

The development comes as the government, in its bid to tackle the spread of the virus, is set to launch a national anti-polio vaccine campaign on October 28.

The latest case marks the first confirmed case of polio in the Loralai district and highlights a worrying trend with the province emerging as an area of ​​high polio transmission this year.

So far, the province has reported 21 of the 41 cases in Pakistan, with other cases spreading to Sindh (12), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (six) and one each in Punjab and Islamabad.

Although this is the first case on record from the area, officials say the virus may have been present in the area for months, as four consecutive sewage samples from Loralai have tested positive since June, signaling prolonged circulation of the virus. .

Genetic sequencing of samples collected from those infected is underway to understand more about the transmission patterns of the virus.

A senior national PEI official expressed concern about the extent of WPV1 transmission in the country, stressing that Loralai is not an isolated case.

“Balochistan’s first case in Loralai adds an alarming picture […] and now we have 204 positive environmental samples from 71 districts across Pakistan. The virus is circulating in many areas, with cases appearing unnoticed, which is worrying,” the official said.

With Pakistan being one of only two countries where wild polio transmission has not been eradicated, health officials are urging parents to actively participate in the upcoming national polio vaccination campaign.

The campaign, led by Pakistan’s polio program, aims to vaccinate more than 45 million children under the age of five. Officials stress the importance of full participation as insufficient vaccination coverage leaves communities vulnerable to the continued spread and resurgence of polio.

The urgency of the campaign is underscored by the persistence of the virus, which is driven by various challenges to vaccination coverage, including vaccine refusals, large population movements, and access gaps in remote areas.

The PEI official noted that while polio teams have made significant efforts in many parts of the country, the resilience of the virus requires stronger cooperation from local communities.

“Parents must open their doors to vaccinators and ensure that every child receives two drops of the oral polio vaccine to protect them from the lifelong effects of polio,” he stressed.

Since its inception in 1994, Pakistan’s polio eradication program has largely contained the virus. However, recent genetic traces show that WPV1 is still circulating in previously controlled areas.

The current challenge is to eliminate the final strongholds of polio through continued vaccination and public cooperation. As the October 28 vaccination initiative approaches, health authorities are stressing the need for vaccinations in high-risk areas to protect future generations from polio.