ISLAMABAD: The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH) has confirmed the detection of three wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases in Pakistan.

With report of fresh cases, the number of total cases in the country this year reached to 55.

On Saturday, November 23, the lab confirmed the case from D.I.Khan and Zhob districts, where female children are affected, and Jaffarabad district where a male child is affected.

D I Khan, one of the seven polio endemic districts of southern KP, has now reported six polio cases, while this is the third case this year from Zhob and second from Jaffarabad.

Pakistan is responding to an intense resurgence of WPV1 this year with 55 cases reported so far. Of these, 26 are from Balochistan, 14 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 13 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 Programme conducts multiple mass vaccination drives in a year, bringing the vaccine to children at their doorsteps, while the Expanded Programme on Immunization provides vaccinations against 12 childhood disease free of charge at health facilities near year.

Considering the intense polio outbreak, it is crucial for parents to ensure vaccination for all their children under the age of five to keep them protected.