The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced in a statement that Pakistan reported a new case of polio in Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on Monday, bringing the total number of cases this year to 68.
Along with Afghanistan, Pakistan is one of the only two nations in the world where polio is still endemic. The disease primarily affects children under five and can occasionally result in permanent paralysis.
Despite international efforts to eradicate the virus, progress has been hindered by obstacles like misinformation, vaccine hesitancy, and security concerns.
The wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) was found in environmental samples taken from 26 regions that were already contaminated on Saturday.
“The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on Monday confirmed the detection of the 68th wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) case of 2024 from the country in DI Khan,” the statement said.
Pakistan is responding to the resurgence of WPV1 this year. Of the cases, 27 are from Balochistan, 20 from KP, 19 from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
Polio is a paralysing 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 are essential to provide children with high immunity against this terrible disease.
The Expanded Programme on Immunization offers vaccinations against 12 childhood diseases at no cost at health facilities, while the Pakistan Polio Programme conducts several mass vaccination drives every year, bringing the vaccine to children’s doorsteps.
To keep their children safe, parents must make sure all of their children under five are vaccinated. From December 16 to 22, a sub-national polio vaccination campaign was carried out across Punjab, Sindh, KP, AJK, GB, and Islamabad, vaccinating over 42 million children. The second phase of the campaign began today in Bangladesh.
Inamul Haq, the coordinator of the Balochistan Emergency Operations Center, announced on Sunday that the vaccination campaign would be held in 36 districts of the province.
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