Two new cases of wild poliovirus type-1 (WPV1) have been confirmed in Sindh, raising the total number of cases in Pakistan to 39 for 2024, according to the National Emergency Operations Centre (EOC). The cases, involving a boy from Mirpurkhas and a girl from Sanghar, mark the first instances of the disease in these areas this year.
The Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) officials indicated that Sindh is experiencing increased virus transmission, especially after multiple environmental samples from Mirpurkhas tested positive for WPV1 earlier this year. Sindh now has 12 confirmed cases, Balochistan has recorded 20, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has five, and Punjab and Islamabad have reported one case each.
Tragically, three children have died from the disease this year, hailing from Karachi’s Bin Qasim Town in Malir district, Killa Saifullah, and Quetta in Balochistan.
In response, the government plans to launch a nationwide anti-polio vaccine campaign starting October 28. However, misinformation and conspiracy theories continue to fuel vaccine hesitancy, particularly in Balochistan and KP. Many parents refuse polio vaccines due to baseless myths, such as the false claim that vaccines cause infertility or are part of a foreign conspiracy.
PEI officials urge parents to rely on scientific facts and consult healthcare professionals, stressing, “Vaccines are safe and essential to protect children from paralysis. Listening to conspiracy theories is putting children at grave risk.”
