ISLAMABAD: Pakistan, Wednesday, reported 69th poliovirus positive case of year 2024 as a 13 months old girl was declared poliovirus infected in District Tank of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province.
According to Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme (PPEP) officials, the sample of the girl were taken in November 2024 which were confirmed poliovirus positive on January 7, 2025, by the regional reference laboratory for polio eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH).
The detection of the 69th wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) case of 2024 from the country took the national tally of poliovirus positive cases of 2024 to 69th.
The PPEP said, “As the date of onset of this case is 25th November 2024, therefore, this case belongs to 2024 and makes the total as 69 cases for 2024.” According to officials, the government has decided to launch first polio eradication drive in KP province from February 13, 2025.
This is the fifth poliovirus case from District Tank of KP. This year nine polio cases have been reported from DI Khan, four from Jacobabad, and one from Sukkur. Pakistan is responding to the resurgence of WPV1 this year with 69 cases reported so far. Of these, 27 are from Balochistan, 21 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 19 from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
In December 2024, the country has reported 12 polio virus positive cases as on December 2, the NIH confirmed three cases, of which, one case each was reported from DI Khan, Karachi Keamari and Kashmore. Similarly, on December 13, the NIH confirmed two polio virus cases from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and two from Sindh. In KP, 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. On December 27, one case was reported from Tank District of KPK, one from Kashmore District of Sindh and on December 30, one poliovirus case was reported in District DI Khan.
In response to the resurgence of WPV1, the Pakistan Polio Programme has conducted numerous mass vaccination campaigns throughout the year. These campaigns aim to reach children at their doorsteps and ensure complete vaccination. The Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) also provides free vaccinations against 12 childhood diseases at health facilities across the country. It is crucial for parents to ensure vaccination for all their children under the age of five to keep them protected.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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