KARACHI: Pakistan’s fight against poliovirus suffered another setback on Tuesday as two new cases were reported in the southern Sindh province, the country’s polio program said, bringing the nationwide tally to 26 this year.
The latest cases, one in the Karachi East district and the other in Sujawal district, underscored the persistent threat posed by the poliovirus in Pakistan. The National Emergency Operations Center for Polio Eradication confirmed that the virus was found in environmental samples in both areas, indicating active circulation within communities.
Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication, Ayesha Raza Farooq, expressed deep concern over the continued threat to Pakistani children, emphasizing the importance of vaccination as the only effective way to protect them against polio, a disease that can cause irreversible paralysis.
“There is no cure for polio. Once a child is paralyzed, it is forever and irreversible,” she said in a statement, urging parents, caretakers, teachers, community elders and neighbors to understand the urgency of the situation and take immediate steps to get all children in their care immediately vaccinated.
“The decisions we take today are extremely critical to protect the future of our children.”
The South Asian country has reported 26 polio cases this year, including 15 from Balochistan, seven from Sindh, two from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
Farooq said one child affected by polio means hundreds of children around them could be silent carriers of the virus.
“No child anywhere is safe until all children in Pakistan are repeatedly vaccinated for polio, building a wall of protection so the virus cannot break through,” she explained.
The Pakistan polio program said it was implementing a strategic roadmap to control virus spread and interrupt transmission by mid-2025.
As part of this roadmap, it said a mass vaccination campaign concluded last month that reached 33 million children in 115 districts of the country and a second vaccination drive is being planned from October 28.
Pakistan’s polio fight stumbles as two new cases surface
https://arab.news/rfb7w
Pakistan’s polio fight stumbles as two new cases surface
- The fresh cases in Karachi and Sujawal in the southern Sindh province bring this year’s tally to 26
- Pakistan’s polio program says recent environmental samples show the virus is actively circulating
Pakistan says 64% of Ramadan relief package beneficiaries have received payments
- Government provides $47 each to eligible households via bank accounts, mobile wallets as part of $136 million package
- Verification and validation process for remaining beneficiaries continuing at fast pace, officials tell PM Shehbaz Sharif
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani officials told Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday that 64 percent of the beneficiaries of the government’s Rs38 billion [$136 million] Ramadan cash relief package have received payments so far, Sharif’s office said.
The Prime Minister’s Ramadan Relief Package 2026, launched on Feb. 14, provides Rs13,000 ($47) each to eligible households through bank accounts and regulated mobile wallets, replacing the earlier utility-store subsidy model with a digital transfer system overseen by the State Bank of Pakistan.
The latest directive comes as Ramadan spending accelerates, with food purchases typically rising during the holy month, prompting the government to ensure payments reach families before household expenses increase further.
Sharif chaired a meeting to review the progress of the Ramadan Relief Package in Islamabad, the PMO said.
“It was informed that by the 8th of Ramadan, 64 percent of beneficiaries had received their payments,” the PMO said.
“The verification and validation process for the remaining beneficiaries is continuing at a fast pace.”
Officials briefed the prime minister that this year, 12 banks and fintech companies are partnering with the government to distribute the funds.
“So far, beneficiaries have conducted 1.1 million digital transactions under the Ramadan package,” the PMO said, adding that 1.227 million automated calls have been made by the government to raise awareness among beneficiaries.
Sharif’s office said the package is being distributed to beneficiaries across the country, including the northern Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir territories.
The digital transfer model for disbursement aims to move toward a targeted subsidy regime aligned with broader efforts to expand financial inclusion and reduce cash-based leakages.
