ISLAMABAD (TDI): Pakistan has confirmed two new cases of polio, raising the total number of cases in the country to 48 for the year.
On November 8, 2024, the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health in Islamabad confirmed the detection of Wild Poliovirus Type-1 (WPV1) in both cases.
The first case involved a male child from Ghotki district in Sindh, marking the 47th reported case of the year. Ghotki, which borders several districts, including Sukkur, Rahim Yar Khan, and Shikarpur, had not previously reported any polio cases, making this the district’s first documented case.
The second case was confirmed on the same day from Dera Ismail Khan (DI Khan) district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
DI Khan, a known polio-endemic area in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has now seen three polio cases this year, contributing to the total of 48 cases nationwide for 2024.
According the country polio programme, So far, 23 cases of polio have been reported in Balochistan, 13 in Sindh, 10 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and one each in Punjab and Islamabad, the federal capital.
“The oral polio vaccine is crucial to protect children from the disability caused by polio infection,” the statement said.
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“We urge parents across the country to ensure that all children under the age of five receive multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine, and that their routine vaccinations are up to date,” it added.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries where polio remains endemic. Since late 2018, Pakistan has witnessed a resurgence in polio cases and a broader spread of the poliovirus, underscoring the vulnerability of the gains made in the previous three years.
