ISLAMABAD: Pakis­tan reported yet another polio case, with the nation’s tally surging to 40 this year, even as World Polio Day is observed today around the globe.

According to the Re­­gional Reference Labo­ratory for Polio Eradi­cation at the National Institute of Health in Islamabad, a case of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) has been confirmed in a 30-month-old male child from tehsil Darra Adam Khel in Khyber Pakh­tunkhwa’s Kohat district.

“This is the second polio case from Kohat district and the 40th case from Pakistan at large this year. So far, 20 cases have been reported from Balochistan, 12 from Sindh, six from KP and one each from Punjab and Islamabad. Genetic sequencing of the samples collected from the child is underway,” a lab official said.

In addition, 402 environmental samples have tested positive for the poliovirus around the country.

The official said that four environmental samples from Kohat had tested positive for WPV1 this year, while the first case from the area was reported in September, indicating that the virus is circulating in the district.

The surge in cases this year comes as a major blow to Pakistan’s polio eradication efforts. In 2019, the country had reported 147 cases, which dropped to 85 in 2020 and just one in 2021. However, the graph started to rise again with 3 cases being reported in 2022, six in 2023 and 40 so far in 2024.

The Pakistan Polio Programme is set to launch another nationwide vaccination campaign from October 28, which aims to vaccinate more than 45 million children under the age of five.

“It is critical for parents to open their doors to vaccinators during this drive and ensure that all children in their care receive two drops of the crucial oral polio vaccine to keep them protected,” the official said.

World Polio Day

According to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), World Polio Day provides a chance to public and civil society partners for raising awareness and resources for the global effort to eradicate polio.

“An outbreak of variant poliovirus type 2 in Gaza has drawn the world’s attention to the reality that as long as polio exists anywhere, all countries will remain at risk. But the outbreak in Gaza has also shown something else: the incredible global commitment to achieving a polio-free world. Against all odds, in September and October, two rounds of outbreak response were implemented in Gaza, each time reaching well over half a million children with the lifesaving polio vaccine and other health interventions,” it stated.

A vocal advocate for polio eradication, First Lady and MNA Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari has called upon the nation to unite in the ongoing battle against polio. She stressed that the stakes had never been higher for the health and future of Pakistan’s children.

“For over two decades, polio has remained a grave threat to the future of our children. Now, more than ever, it is critical that we rally together to protect them through sustained and consistent vaccination efforts,” Ms Bhutto-Zardari stated.

The Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication Ayesha Raza Farooq also emphasised the government’s commitment to polio eradication from the highest office of PM to the provincial and district levels.

She said that polio eradication was being taken forward as national priority agenda with a consensus roadmap being implemented to interrupt virus transmission by mid-2025.

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2024