Another polio case reported in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH) has confirmed the detection of the wild polio virus case type 1 (WPV1) in the country.

The lab confirmed one polio case from a female child from D.I.Khan. The onset of this case was on December 31, 2024.

D.I.Khan has now reported 11 polio cases in 2024.

Pakistan has been responding to an intense resurgence of WPV1 with 72 cases reported in 2024. Of these, 27 are from Balochistan, 22 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 21 from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.

Polio is a paralyzing disease that has no cure. Multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and completion of the routine vaccination schedule for all children under the age of five is essential to provide children high immunity against this terrible disease.

The Pakistan Polio Program conducts multiple mass vaccination drives in a year, bringing the vaccine to children at their doorsteps, while the Expanded Program on Immunization provides vaccinations against 12 childhood disease free of charge at health facilities.

The year’s first Polio vaccination campaign is scheduled to be conducted nationwide from February 3- 9, 2025.

It is crucial for parents to ensure vaccination for all their children under the age of five to keep them protected.