According to the Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme, Pakistan announced its most recent polio incidence on Wednesday in the Chagai district of Balochistan, bringing the total number of cases nationwide for the year to 43.
The only two nations where polio is still common are Pakistan and Afghanistan, where insurgents fighting against security forces often target vaccination teams.
In an effort to vaccinate over 45 million children under five, Pakistan began a week-long immunization drive on Monday.
The 43rd Wild Poliovirus Type-1 (WPV1) case in Pakistan has been confirmed by the National Institute of Health’s Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication, according to the release.
“On Wednesday, October 30, 2024, the laboratory verified that a child from the Chagai district of Balochistan had Type-1 Wild Poliovirus.”
It was Chagai’s first polio case, according to the statement.
There have been 22 instances recorded from Balochistan, 12 from Sindh, 7 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and 1 from Punjab and Islamabad thus far. The announcement further stated that the samples taken from the infant are currently undergoing genetic sequencing.
Wednesday’s case follows the death of the disease’s first Nowshera victim, a 29-month-old girl. Prior to this, the Loralai district of Balochistan was the site of the 41st recorded case of polio.
Pakistan attained 40 on the eve of World Polio Day, which was marked on October 24.
