A 10-month-old baby girl was diagnosed with poliovirus in district Kohat of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, bringing the total number of polio cases in Pakistan to 23 this year. The infant, from Tehsil Darra Adamkhel, contracted the wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) and developed paralysis on September 12, marking the second case reported in the northwestern province in 2024.
This case in KP follows closely after the province’s first polio case was confirmed in the Mohmand district on September 6. KP had remained polio-free until earlier this month, thanks to the persistent efforts of the provincial government, polio workers, and national and international organisations dedicated to polio eradication. These efforts have been particularly effective in the province’s southern districts, including Kohat, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Karak, Tank, Dera Ismail Khan, North Waziristan, South Waziristan, Upper and Lower Waziristan, Kurram tribal district, and Orakzai district.
The latest polio case in KP was reported a day after authorities confirmed that a 30-month-old boy from Pishin, Balochistan, had been struck by the virus, marking the province’s 15th case. Balochistan remains the epicentre of the outbreak with 15 confirmed cases, while Sindh has reported four, Punjab and Islamabad each have recorded one case, and KP has now reported its second.
The rapid increase in polio cases has heightened scrutiny of the country’s polio eradication efforts. According to officials from the Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI), the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health confirmed the presence of WPV1 in the latest case from Kohat. The continued circulation of the virus has prompted health officials to intensify efforts to close immunity gaps in vulnerable areas.
Muhammad Anwarul Haq, the national coordinator for the Polio Emergency Operations Centre, emphasised the urgency of addressing gaps in vaccination efforts. “Every missed vaccination is an opportunity for the virus to win,” he warned, calling for collective action from both the government and the public to ensure timely and repeated vaccinations for all children.
In response to the outbreak, Pakistan’s polio eradication programme organised an anti-polio campaign in 115 districts this month, vaccinating 33 million children under the age of five years. Despite these efforts, the programme continues to face significant challenges, particularly in areas where insecurity, misinformation, and parental refusals hinder vaccination campaigns.
Authorities have updated the National Polio Eradication Emergency Operations Plan and have planned two major door-to-door vaccination campaigns later this year to halt the virus’s spread. Ayesha Raza Farooq, the prime minister’s focal person for polio eradication, expressed frustration at the lack of progress, highlighting the crucial role parents play in stopping the virus. “Each new case is a heartbreaking reminder that we are failing our children,” she stated. “The solution is simple: timely and repeated vaccination.”
The polio emergency remains a national priority, with health officials urging communities to cooperate and support vaccination efforts to protect the country’s children from this crippling disease.
