ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has reported four new cases of poliovirus in its southwestern Balochistan and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provinces, bringing the total number of infected children in the South Asian country this year to 39.
The Emergency Operations Center for Polio confirmed the detection of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in three children from Balochistan, as well as one child in the Lakki Marwat district of KP, raising the total cases in the province to five.
According to the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health, the affected children include a 30-month-old girl from Lakki Marwat, an 18-month-old girl from Pishin, a 9-month-old boy from Chaman, and a 5-year-old boy from Nushki.
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Pakistan, alongside neighboring Afghanistan, remains one of the last polio-endemic countries in the world. Since late 2018, the country has experienced a resurgence of cases and a wider spread of the virus.
Data from the Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme shows that so far in 2024, Pakistan has documented 39 polio cases, highlighting a troubling increase in infections, particularly in Balochistan and Sindh.
According to the Data, the number of polio cases in Balochistan now stands at 20, while Sindh has recorded 12 cases, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa five cases, and both Punjab and Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) have recorded one case each.
Despite ongoing vaccination efforts, health officials are concerned about the virus’s continued spread. In 2023, Pakistan reported only six polio cases—four in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and two in Sindh, while there was only one case in 2021.
In terms of funding, the National Polio Eradication Programme received $180 million in 2022, which increased to $187 million in 2023. For 2024, the programme has been allocated $80 million.
The Ministry of Health emphasized that since January 2022, a total of $447 million has been spent on polio eradication efforts, underscoring the government’s commitment to eliminating the disease from the country.
