Pakistan confirms 40th polio case this year

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s battle against polio has taken another grim turn with the detection of the 40th case of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in the country this year.

A 30-month-old boy from Dara Adam Khel tehsil in District Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has been confirmed as the latest victim of the virus, according to the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad.

The lab confirmed the case on Wednesday, October 23, 2024. This is the second polio case from District Kohat this year, raising alarms about the ongoing circulation of the virus in the region.

Genetic sequencing of the samples collected from the child is currently underway to further understand the spread and lineage of the virus.

So far in 2024, Pakistan has reported 40 polio cases, with Balochistan accounting for half of these. Sindh follows with 12 cases, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with six and Punjab and Islamabad with one case each.

The surge in cases from Kohat is particularly concerning, as four environmental samples from the district have also tested positive for WPV1 this year.

The first polio case from Kohat was reported in September, suggesting continued presence and circulation of the virus in the area.