Polio cripples another child in Pakistan, toll rises to 46

• This is the second polio case reported by Qila Saifullah in 2024.
• Pakistan is one of only two polio-endemic countries in the world.
• Misinformation about the major barrier to polio eradication.
  

ISLAMABAD: The number of children affected by polio in Pakistan has risen to 46, with the latest case reported in Balochistan’s Qila Saifullah district.

Authorities confirmed that a month-old child had been diagnosed with the virus, marking the 23rd case of polio in Balochistan this year.

This is the second case of polio reported by Qila Saifullah in 2024.

Officials further report that environmental samples from 76 areas across the country have tested positive for the virus, highlighting its nationwide spread.

Pakistan is one of only two countries in the world, along with Afghanistan, where polio remains endemic.

Since its inception in 1994, the country’s polio eradication program has largely contained the virus by holding frequent vaccination drives. The country was close to completely eradicating the disease by this year, as only six cases had been reported in 2023.

However, experts point to misinformation about the polio vaccine as a major obstacle to eradication efforts.

The southwestern province has emerged as an area of ​​intense polio transmission this year accounting for 23 of the 41 cases in the country. Besides Balochistan, Sindh has reported 12 cases, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa nine, while Punjab and Islamabad have recorded one case each.

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.

Pakistan’s rigorous polio eradication efforts face significant challenges, particularly in areas where insecurity, misinformation and parental refusals hamper vaccination campaigns.