KARACHI: The National Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) has confirmed three new cases of polio in Pakistan, that took the total number of cases of the crippling disease in the country to 59 this year.
The EOC issues updated nationwide tally of polio cases on Monday a week after a case was reported in Dera Ismail Khan's Drazanda tehsil where a 27-month-old child was diagnosed with poliovirus.
The newly reported cases were detected in Dera Ismail Khan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Karachi's Keamari district, and Kashmore, according to the EOC.
With the latest case coming to the fore, Dera Ismail Khan has so far reported a total of eight polio cases this year. The recently detected case in Keamari marks its third and the first in Kashmore this year, the EOC noted.
Balochistan leads with 26 cases in 2024, followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 16, Sindh with 15, and one each in Punjab and Islamabad.
The highly contagious viral disease predominantly affects children under five, particularly those with weak immunity or inadequate vaccination.
Health authorities have time and again underscored the importance of vaccination campaigns to curb the spread of this preventable disease, which remains a significant public health challenge in the country.
Pakistan continues it fight as the prevention from this crippling disease remains a challenge for the government, particularly in areas with security concerns and widespread vaccine hesitancy.
Authorities are working on a war footing to address these challenges and eradicate the virus. Strategies include reaching missed children, combating vaccine hesitancy, and integrating health services for vulnerable communities.
The health department officials emphasised that many children remain vulnerable due to misinformation about vaccines.
“Vaccines are safe and essential to protect children from paralysis. Listening to conspiracy theories is putting children at grave risk,” a Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) official said, urging parents to vaccinate their children.
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