Pakistan has reported another case of the polio virus in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, bringing the total number of polio cases across the country to 68 this year, authorities confirmed on Monday.
The latest case involves wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) infection in Dera Ismail Khan district, marking the tenth case in the region this year. The National Institute of Health (NIH) Regional Polio Eradication Reference Laboratory in Islamabad confirmed the diagnosis.
“Pakistan is responding to the resurgence of WPV1 this year,” a statement from the country’s polio program said. “It is essential that parents ensure vaccination of all children under five years of age to keep them protected.”
Polio is a crippling disease with no cure, making vaccination efforts critical. Authorities stress the importance of giving multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and completing the routine vaccination schedule to provide children with high immunity against the disease.
The national tally of 68 cases this year includes 27 from Balochistan, 20 from KP, 19 from Sindh and one each from Punjab and Islamabad. A sub-national vaccination drive, which took place from December 16 to 22, successfully vaccinated more than 42 million children in various regions including Punjab, Sindh, KP, Azad Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and Islamabad.
In Balochistan, the campaign was initially postponed due to security threats and a boycott by provincial health personnel, but the second phase resumed on Monday.
Pakistan, along with Afghanistan, remains one of the last polio-endemic countries in the world, highlighting the ongoing challenges to eradicating the disease.
