Pakistan's polio tally for 2024 rises to 46

KARACHI: The country's polio virus tally for the year has risen to 46 as another child was crippled by the contagious disease in Balochistan's Qila Saifullah district.

Authorities have confirmed that a baby, just a few months old, has been diagnosed with polio, bringing the total number of cases in Balochistan to 23 this year. 

This marks the second polio case reported from Qila Saifullah in 2024. 

Additionally, officials have revealed that environmental samples from 76 districts across the country have tested positive for the virus, highlighting its widespread presence.

Pakistan is one of the only two countries in the world, alongside Afghanistan, where polio remains endemic.

Since its launch in 1994, the country's polio eradication programme has largely contained the virus by holding frequent vaccination drives. The country was close to completely wiping out the disease until this year as only six cases had been reported in 2023.

However, the experts point to misinformation about the polio vaccine as a significant obstacle to eradication efforts.

The southwestern province has emerged as an area of intense polio transmission this year as 23 of the 41 cases in the country. Apart from Balochistan, Sindh has reported 12 cases, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa nine, while Punjab and Islamabad have recorded one case each.

Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus mainly affecting children under the age of five years, who are malnourished or have weak immunity because of being under-vaccinated or not vaccinated for polio and other childhood diseases.

The illness invades the nervous system and causes paralysis or even death. While there is no cure for polio, vaccination is the most effective way to protect children from this crippling disease.

Pakistan's rigorous efforts towards polio eradication face significant challenges, particularly in areas where insecurity, misinformation, and parental refusals hinder vaccination campaigns.