ISLAMABAD: Punjab has announced the first incidence of poliovirus in four years, which is a major setback in the battle against the debilitating illness in the province. In Punjab, there was no instance reported since 2020.
A representative from the National Institute of Health (NIH)’s Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication confirmed that the most recent victim is a six-year-old boy from the Chakwal area.
All things considered, this year’s case count in Pakistan is 12. Two cases of polio were previously reported in Sindh and nine cases in Balochistan.
Compared to 2023, the number of cases this year has already doubled.
The official stated that because the virus’s genetic sequencing is still ongoing, the precise virus cluster in the most recent case has not yet been discovered.
The official stated, “The most recent victim is older than six, suggesting potential immunity-related issues.” “As we enter the eighth month of this year, the number of cases has already doubled from the six cases in the previous year. This may indicate that the nation’s polio situation is getting worse.
The only positive development, he claimed, is that there hasn’t been a single case of polio recorded in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan, or Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
The poliovirus, which causes polio, is a highly contagious disease that mainly affects children under five. When the virus enters the nerve system, it can result in death or paralysis.
The virus has no known cure, but immunization continues to offer the best defense. A child’s immunity to the virus is strengthened with each vaccination. Millions of children around the world have benefited from repeated immunizations, making nearly every nation polio-free except for Pakistan and Afghanistan.
