Poliovirus cripples another child in Pakistan, as DI Khan records third case this year

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Total cases 48 now, 10 in KP

Islamabad: Poliovirus has crippled another child in Pakistan, this time again in the Dera Ismail Khan (DI Khan) district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, marking the 48th confirmed Wild Poliovirus Type-1 (WPV1) case in the country this year.

The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Islamabad confirmed the detection of WPV1 on November 8, identifying the infection in a young boy from DI Khan—one of Pakistan’s most polio-affected areas.

This is the third case reported from DI Khan in 2024, underscoring the district’s struggle to control the virus within Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s polio-endemic southern region.

Balochistan remains the most affected province with 23 cases, followed by Sindh with 13, and KP with ten. Punjab and Islamabad have each reported a single case this year. Health authorities are awaiting results from genetic sequencing of samples collected from the child, which will help in understanding the virus transmission patterns and guiding future vaccination campaigns.

Amid the rising polio cases, Pakistan’s Polio Programme, in partnership with the Expanded Programme for Immunization (EPI), has redoubled its efforts to provide oral polio vaccines (OPV) and routine immunizations against 12 childhood diseases. The Polio Programme reaches children directly through door-to-door campaigns multiple times a year, while EPI facilities across the country offer vaccinations at no cost. Health experts emphasize that each child needs multiple doses of OPV to gain immunity against polio’s devastating effects.

With Pakistan remaining one of only two polio-endemic countries globally, the surge in cases has underscored the challenges the country faces in eradicating the virus.

Although eradication efforts have seen intermittent success, ongoing challenges such as vaccine hesitancy, logistical hurdles, and regional insecurity continue to impede progress. Health officials and organizations are urging parents to ensure complete vaccination for children under five to protect them from life-altering disabilities caused by the virus.