KARACHI: Pakistan’s anti-polio program on Thursday confirmed detecting another poliovirus case from last year, saying that the total tally of cases reported in 2024 have now climbed to 73.
Polio is a paralyzing disease that has no cure. Multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and completion of the routine vaccination schedule for all children under the age of five is essential to provide children high immunity against the disease.
The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health confirmed that the 73rd case has been reported in a child from Pakistan’s southern Thatta district.
“The onset of this case was on December 10, 2024,” the Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme said in a statement. “This is the first polio case from Thatta for 2024.”
Giving a breakdown of the cases reported in 2024, the program said 27 cases were reported from Balochistan, 22 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 22 from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
Pakistan, along with neighboring Afghanistan, remains the last polio-endemic country in the world. In the early 1990s, Pakistan reported around 20,000 cases annually but in 2018 the number dropped to eight cases. Six cases were reported in 2023 and only one in 2021.
Pakistan’s polio eradication efforts have met several challenges in recent years, including attacks by militants and misinformation by religious hard-liners.
The Pakistan polio program is scheduled to hold the country’s first nationwide vaccination drive of this year from Feb. 3 till Feb. 9.
“It is crucial for parents to ensure vaccination for all their children under the age of five to keep them protected,” it said.
Pakistan polio program says 73 cases reported in 2024
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Pakistan polio program says 73 cases reported in 2024
- Seventy-third polio case of 2024 reported from Pakistan’s southern Thatta district
- Pakistan is scheduled to hold first nationwide vaccination drive of 2025 from Feb. 3
Pakistan, US agree joint operations against fake visa networks
- Mohsin Naqvi says full-scale crackdown underway against illegal travel to US
- US and Pakistan to expand cooperation in law enforcement and police training
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the United States on Saturday agreed to carry out joint operations against fake and fraudulent visa networks, according to an official statement released in Islamabad, as the two countries seek to curb illegal immigration and strengthen law enforcement cooperation.
The agreement was reached during a meeting between Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and US Chargé d’affaires Natalie Baker. The talks also covered bilateral relations, pre-immigration clearance mechanisms and expanded coordination between government agencies.
“It was decided that joint operations will be conducted against fake and fraudulent visa networks under comprehensive SOPs,” said the statement circulated by the Interior Ministry, referring to standard operating procedures that will guide coordinated action between authorities.
Pakistan has stepped up scrutiny of travel and migration channels to deal with any forged documents and unauthorized agents facilitating illegal travel. Naqvi said the government was pursuing a zero-tolerance approach toward such networks and that he was personally overseeing enforcement efforts.
“Emphasizing that illegal immigration is a serious issue, he said a full-scale crackdown is underway against those attempting to go to the United States illegally,” the statement said, adding that “due to effective government measures, illegal immigration has declined by 47 percent, and those involved in fake documentation networks deserve no leniency.”
The interior minister also said Pakistan had introduced modern technology to make passports more secure, part of broader efforts to tighten controls and reduce document fraud.
The two sides agreed to deepen cooperation at multiple levels, including police training and coordination among law enforcement agencies, the statement said, as part of wider efforts to address cross-border crime and migration challenges.
The US diplomat said Washington attached special importance to relations with Pakistan and that closer cooperation would help strengthen bilateral ties, according to the interior ministry.
