ISLAMABAD: The National Institute of Health (NIH) confirmed another case of polio from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Wednesday.

The victim was a 13-month-old girl from Tank district.

As the sample was collected before the start of the current year, the case has been placed in the list of 2024. Therefore, the tally for the year has reached 69, including five from Tank district.

“Of the 21 cases reported from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa last year, 19 have come from its southern region,” an official of the polio programme said. Of the country’s 69 cases, 27 were from Balochistan, 21 from KP, 19 from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.

The current year’s first anti-polio vaccination campaign is scheduled to be conducted nationwide from Feb 3 to 9. “To keep children safe, it is critical for parents to welcome vaccinators and get their children vaccinated,” he said.

“We had controlled the polio virus in 2022 and there came a period of 15 months during which not a single case was reported. But in 2023, a virus cluster got reintroduced from across the border and started spreading in the year’s second half.

“It initially started showing up as environmental detection, followed by cases. The intensity of circulation further increased in 2024 and has thus far given 69 wild poliovirus cases in all the four provinces as well as in Islamabad,” he added.

“During mid-2024, the Technical Advisory Group and the Polio Oversight Board expressed concern over the deteriorating situation. Taking note of their concern, the prime minister formed a new team, comprising his focal person for polio eradication and a senior government official, and tasked it with turning the tide,” he said.

Appeal to parents

The official claimed that the new management was working closely with the provinces to conduct a forensic analysis of the viral surge.

“Our efforts are expected to yield results, but the current immunity gap poses a threat to Pakistani children during the next few months. It is imperative for parents to ensure their children stay protected through full course of vaccination offered by EPI as well as additional doses offered during door-to-door campaigns.

“The task is enormous and cannot be left to the government alone. Every Pakistani will have to chip in by helping frontline workers reach and vaccinate every eligible child,” he said.

Published in Dawn, January 9th, 2025