Pakistan reports two more polio cases amid vaccination drive to stem spread of virus

A health worker (R) administers polio vaccine drops to a child during a polio vaccination campaign in Karachi on June 3, 2024. (AFP/File)

• Pakistan’s polio crisis appears to be deepening, with the country reporting 45 cases so far this year
• Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries in the world where polio remains an endemic

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has reported two more cases of the wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases in its northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, the country’s polio program said late Friday, bringing the nationwide tally to 45 this year.
The regional reference laboratory at the National Institute of Health confirmed the virus in a girl in the Lakki Marwat district and in a boy in Dera Ismail Khan.
These are the second polio cases reported from DI Khan and Lakki Marwat this year, where environmental samples have tested positive in recent months.
The development comes amid an ongoing polio vaccination campaign to inoculate more than 45 million children from Oct. 28 till Nov. 3 across Pakistan.
“It is critical for parents to open their door to vaccinators and ensure that all children in their care receive OPV [oral polio vaccine] to keep them protected from the devastating effects of polio,” the polio program said in a statement.
So far this year, 22 polio cases have been reported from Balochistan, 12 from Sindh, nine from KP and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
WPV1 has been detected in environmental samples in 76 districts from all four provinces, indicating widespread circulation of the virus and a continued serious risk to children’s well-being from the disease, according to the polio program.
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 keep them protected.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries where polio remains an endemic. Since late 2018, Pakistan has seen a resurgence of cases and increased spread of poliovirus, highlighting the fragility of gains achieved in the preceding three years.