Polio cases confirmed in eight districts of Pakistan

The spread of polio in Pakistan is increasing rapidly, with cases now confirmed in eight districts, according to ARY News.

The National Institute of Health (NIH) revealed that wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) was found in sewage samples from Dera Ismail Khan, Charsadda, Rawalpindi, Qambar, Jamshoro, Killa Saifullah, Barkhan, and Mastung.

So far this year, 63 polio cases have been reported nationwide. Balochistan recorded the highest number with 26 cases, followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 18, Sindh with 17, and one case each in Punjab and Islamabad.

For the first time this year, Charsadda has reported a positive sewage sample for the virus. The growing presence of polio has raised serious concerns about a potential outbreak, posing a major risk to children across the country.

On December 13, Pakistan reported four more polio cases within 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases to 63 in 2024.

According to the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) for Polio Eradication, the newly reported cases emerged from Dera Ismail Khan, Sukkur, Jacobabad and Tank.

The NEOC confirmed that three case were reported in girls where one boy was affected by the deadly virus from Sukkur.

Health authorities continue their efforts to combat the spread of the virus through vaccination campaigns and public awareness initiatives.

It’s worth mentioning here that the recent rise in polio cases in Pakistan has sparked concerns for international organizations.

According to sources, the international organization has called on Pakistan to implement emergency measures.

Sources revealed that Pakistan has assured the international organizations of taking swift action to control polio.

Furthermore, these organizations who work to combat the polio virus likely to visit Pakistan later this month.

Symptoms and risk

Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus. It invades the nervous system and can cause total paralysis in a matter of hours.

The virus is transmitted by person-to-person spread mainly through the faecal-oral route or, less frequently, by a common vehicle (for example, contaminated water or food) and multiplies in the intestine. Initial symptoms are fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness of the neck and pain in the limbs.

One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis (usually in the legs). Among those paralysed, 5–10% die when their breathing muscles become immobilized.

The disease mainly affects children under 5 years of age. However, anyone of any age who is unvaccinated can contract the disease.

There is no cure for the crippling disease, it can only be prevented. Polio vaccine, given multiple times, can protect a child for life.

There are two vaccines available: oral polio vaccine and inactivated polio vaccine. Both are effective and safe, and both are used in different combinations worldwide, depending on local epidemiological and programmatic circumstances, to ensure the best possible protection to populations can be provided.