22nd polio case reported in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s 22nd polio case this year was confirmed after authorities on Wednesday said that a 30-month-old boy from Pishin, Balochistan, was the 15th child in the province to be struck by the poliovirus.

So far, Sindh has recorded four cases while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Islamabad have reported one case each, making Balochistan the epicenter of the current outbreak.

According to Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) officials, the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health confirmed the presence of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in the child, who hails from the Union Council Cadet College in District Pishin.

Ayesha Raza Farooq, the prime minister’s focal person for Polio Eradication, voiced frustration at the lack of progress, emphasizing the pivotal role parents play in halting the spread of virus. “Each new case is a heartbreaking reminder that we are failing our children,” she stated. “The solution is simple: timely and repeated vaccination.”

However, Pakistan’s polio eradication efforts are being undermined by multiple challenges. Parental refusals, often due to misinformation or mistrust, have created dangerous gaps in immunization coverage. Security concerns, particularly in the conflict-prone areas of Balochistan, have also hindered access to children. In some areas, polio workers face the threat of violence, leading to missed children in vaccination rounds.

Additionally, reports of data manipulation by frontline health workers have emerged, with some vaccinators allegedly falsifying records to meet targets. This “fudging” of data has further complicated efforts to track unvaccinated children and address immunity gaps.

Muhammad Anwarul Haq, national coordinator for the Polio Emergency Operations Centre, called for urgent action to close these gaps.

“Every missed vaccination is an opportunity for the virus to win,” he warned, stressing that collective action from both the government and the public is critical to reversing the current trend. He urged parents to welcome polio workers into their homes, stressing that vaccinating children remained the most effective way to combat the virus.

With Balochistan facing a unique set of challenges, including vaccine hesitancy, population mobility and insecurity, the government has updated its National Polio Eradication Emergency Operations Plan. Two major door-to-door vaccination campaigns are planned for later this year in an attempt to stop the virus from spreading further.

Meanwhile, suspected militants attacked a police team escorting polio workers near Malangi Morr on Chodhwan Road in Daraban tehsil on Wednesday.

The police said that cops were on duty to provide security to polio workers in the ongoing anti-polio vaccination drive near Malangi Morr on Chodhwan Road when militants opened fire on them with automatic weapons.

However, the cops guarding the vaccinators returned the fire promptly and forced the attackers to flee to a nearby forest.

No casualty was reported during the exchange of fire between the militants and police. Soon after the incident, a heavy contingent of police rushed to the spot and launched a search operation.