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 announces national Islamic scholarship competition focused on youth
- Contest invites books, essays, poetry in multiple languages, with awards for men and women
- Best entries to be published digitally and in print, submissions due by March 31
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs on Wednesday announced a nationwide competition for books, poetry and academic papers focused on Islamic scholarship, as part of efforts to promote religious discourse addressing modern social challenges, particularly among younger generations.
The annual competition will cover works on Seerat — the biography and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) — as well as Na’at, a traditional form of devotional poetry praising the Prophet, alongside broader Islamic research and literary contributions published in Pakistan and abroad.
“Ministry of Religious Affairs ... remains committed to addressing contemporary challenges through the guidance of the Seerat-e-Tayyaba (the life of the Prophet Muhammad), describing the national competition as an important step toward promoting Islamic teachings in society,” the ministry said in a statement.
“The initiative serves as an effective platform to encourage writers and researchers working on Seerat and Islamic subjects.”
For 2026, the ministry has set the central theme for Seerat research papers as “Protection, development and character-building of the younger generation in the light of the life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).”
Officials said the focus aims to encourage scholarly engagement with issues such as ethics, social responsibility and education in a rapidly changing society.
The competition will award separate cash prizes and certificates to male and female writers at national and provincial levels, while selected research papers will be published in both digital and printed formats, the statement said.
According to the ministry, works published in national, regional and foreign languages will be eligible, with eight dedicated categories covering Seerat authors and Na’at poets. Separate categories have also been introduced for women writers, journals and magazines, expanding participation beyond individual book authors.
The ministry said the competition is intended to strengthen Islamic literary traditions while encouraging new voices to engage with religious subjects in a contemporary context.
The deadline for submission of books and research papers is March 31, 2026, it added.
