Pakistan reports four new polio cases, total reaches 63 in 2024

Karachi [Pakistan], December 13 : Pakistan has reported four new polio cases, raising the total for 2024 to 63, according to the National Emergency Operations Centre (EOC). The new cases were detected in Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, Jacobabad, and Sukkur, with the case in Sukkur being the area's first, The News International reported.
The EOC noted that the latest case marks the ninth in Dera Ismail Khan and the third in Jacobabad, while the affected child in Sukkur is a boy. This year, polio cases have been distributed across provinces as follows: 26 in Balochistan, 18 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 17 in Sindh, and one each in Punjab and Islamabad.
Polio, a highly contagious viral disease, primarily impacts children under five, especially those with weak immunity or insufficient vaccination, The News International reported.
With over 60 per cent of children affected by polio in 2024 having not received routine immunizations, health authorities have formed a high-level committee to enhance coordination between the Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) and the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI).
According to the report, the committee, chaired by Dr. Malik Muhtar Ahmed Barath, the Prime Minister's Coordinator for Health Services, comprises provincial health directors and representatives from international organisations such as WHO, UNICEF, CDC, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Its main goal is to tackle issues in high-risk areas and improve vaccination coverage nationwide. Capt. (retd) Anwar-ul-Haq, the National Coordinator for the EOC, also announced a nationwide polio vaccination campaign set to take place from December 16 to 22.
The campaign aims to immunize 44 million children across 143 districts, though logistical issues will prevent some districts in Pakistan occupied Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir from being included.
Although Pakistan has reduced wild polio cases by 99 per cent since the 1990s, the country still faces significant challenges.
The reemergence of the YB3A genetic cluster of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in 2023 has led to the virus spreading to 82 districts, hindering eradication efforts. Key obstacles include security concerns in areas like KP and Balochistan, vaccine hesitancy, and refusals based on local demands.
Additionally, misconceptions and anti-polio vaccine propaganda continue to undermine vaccination efforts, despite clear evidence that the oral polio vaccine is safe and has successfully eradicated polio in many countries, including several Muslim-majority nations.
Ayesha Raza Farooq, the Prime Minister's Focal Person on Polio Eradication, urged parents to make sure their children are vaccinated against polio and called on the media to help combat misinformation about vaccines. She emphasised that public cooperation is crucial in eradicating this preventable and debilitating disease.