The National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) reported Pakistan’s 50th polio case of the year on Tuesday, raising fresh concerns over the country’s battle with the eradication of the virus.
The latest case involves a 20-month-old girl from Tank district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the National Reference Laboratory confirmed the presence of Wild Poliovirus Type 1 (WPV1).
This marks the second polio case from Tank this year, with a genetic link established to a case from July in the same region.
While the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa case brings the province’s total to 11 cases, Balochistan remains the hardest-hit region, reporting 24 cases so far in 2024. Sindh has reported 13 cases, while Punjab and Islamabad have each recorded one case.
Authorities continue to stress the importance of vaccination campaigns, especially in high-risk areas, to curb the spread of the virus.
In response to the growing concerns, sources have confirmed that international health organizations are planning a visit to Pakistan later this month to assess the situation and provide additional support to the ongoing vaccination campaigns.
