ISLAMABAD: The Regional Reference Laboratory (RFL) for polio eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH), Friday, announced detection of two more poliovirus cases in the country taking the national tally to 67 cases in 2024.

According to Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme (PPEP), two more wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases were confirmed one each from district Tank of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province and district Kashmore of Sindh province.

This is the fourth polio case from Tank and the second case from Kashmore this year. This year nine polio cases have been reported from DI Khan, three from Tank, four from Jacobabad, and one from Sukkur.

Pakistan is responding to the resurgence of WPV1 this year with 67 cases reported so far. Of these, 27 are from Balochistan, 19 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 19 from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.

In December, the country has reported 11 polio virus positive cases as on December 2, the NIH confirmed three cases of which one each case was reported from DI Khan, Karachi Keamari and Kashmore. Similarly on December 13, the NIH confirmed two polio virus cases from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) and two from Sindh. In KPK, one polio case each was detected from DI Khan and Tank districts while in Sindh one polio virus case was detected in District Jacobabad and one in District Sukkur on December 18 the lab confirmed the case from Jacobabad Sindh. The lasted two cases are confirmed one from Tank District of KPK and one from Kashmore district of Sindh.

The Pakistan Polio Program conducts multiple mass vaccination drives in a year, bringing the vaccine to children at their doorsteps, while the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) provides vaccinations against 12 childhood disease free of charge at health facilities. It is crucial for parents to ensure vaccination for all their children under the age of five to keep them protected.

The December sub-national Polio vaccination campaign in Balochistan province is scheduled to begin on December 30, during which all 36 districts of the province will be targeted for vaccination. To keep children safe, it is critical for parents to welcome vaccinators among them and bring their children forward for vaccination.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024