Poliovirus tally reaches 43 after fresh case confirmed in Balochistan's Chagai

Health authorities on Wednesday confirmed that a fresh poliovirus case was reported in Balochistan's Chagai district, pushing the country's total tally to 43 of this year. 

The Poliovirus Type-1 (WPV1) was detected in a child in the Chagai district, said the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health.

The latest case marks the first confirmed polio case in the Chagai district and highlights a troubling trend with the province emerging as an area of intense polio transmission this year.

So far, 22 cases have been reported from Balochistan, 12 from Sindh, seven from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.

The lab said that the genetic sequencing of the samples collected from the child was underway.

A nationwide polio vaccination campaign is currently ongoing in the country to continue till November 3, aiming to vaccinate over 45 million children under the age of five against the virus.

With Pakistan being one of only two countries where wild poliovirus transmission has not been eradicated, health officials are urging parents to actively participate in the upcoming nationwide polio vaccination campaign.

Officials stress the importance of full participation as incomplete vaccination coverage leaves communities vulnerable to the continued spread and resurgence of polio.

The urgency of the campaign is underscored by the virus’s persistence, which officials say is due to various challenges in vaccination coverage, including vaccine refusals, high population movement, and gaps in reaching remote areas.

Since its launch in 1994, Pakistan's polio eradication programme has largely contained the virus. However, recent genetic traces show that WPV1 is still circulating in previously controlled areas.

The current challenge is to eliminate polio’s final strongholds through ongoing vaccinations and public cooperation.