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Polio Outbreak In Pakistan: 3 New Cases Recorded In Pakistan Taking The Total Tally To 55
Pakistan has reported 3 new cases of polio virus infection in the country. Polio outbreak in Pakistan first took place in the month of August, 2024. About 41 cases were recorded in total. In 2024, Balochistan had reported 21 cases, Sindh reported 12 cases, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with six cases, Punjab reported one case, and Islamabad also reported one case. Currently, counting the 3 news cases the total tally of polio infections in Pakistan has gone up to 55 as per reports. The three new cases have been reported from Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.
As per confirmations from The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health, the three wild poliovirus types are of type 1 (WPV1).
The victims who have tested positive of this wild polio virus are two girls aged eight and 20 months respectively and another boy of the age of 5 months. As per reports from lab officials, the new cases were reported from Dera Ismail Khan, Zhob and Jaffarabad districts. All three districts have already reported a case of poliovirus this year.
Among the seven districts that are now endemic to polio virus in Khyber-Pakhunwa, Dera Ismail Khan is one are which had reported 6 polio cases this year. The total tally in Dera Ismail Khan is now seven. The highest number of cases were reported from the provinces of Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunwa with 26 and 15 cases respectively. 13 cases were reported from the Sindh province and lastly, two cases were reported from Punjab and Islamabad, respectively. The seven districts that are now endemic to polio virus are situated in these provinces. Further reports indicate that routine immunization programs have encountered major difficulties in reaching all vulnerable children in the districts over the past three years. This may be one of the reasons behind the sudden outbreak of 55 cases in one year.