KARACHI: Health authorities have confirmed a new polio case in the southern Sindh province that brings the total number of children affected by the crippling virus this year to 27, the country’s polio program said on Tuesday.
The regional laboratory for polio eradication at Islamabad’s National Institute of Health (NIH) confirmed the new case in Sindh’s Hyderabad district, according to the country’s polio program. Of the 27 cases reported nationwide, it said, 18 are from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, seven from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Polio is a highly infectious and incurable disease that can cause lifelong paralysis. The only effective protection is through repeated doses of the Oral Polio Vaccine for every child under five during each campaign, alongside timely completion of all routine immunizations.
“Polio eradication is a collective responsibility,” the polio program said. “While dedicated frontline polio workers deliver vaccines, parents and caregivers must ensure their children receive all recommended doses, including routine immunizations.”
Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries where polio remains an endemic. Pakistan recorded 74 cases in 2024, a sharp rise from six in 2023 and just one in 2021.
Pakistan’s efforts to eliminate poliovirus have been hampered by parental refusals, widespread misinformation and repeated attacks on anti-polio workers by militant groups. In remote and volatile areas, vaccination teams often operate under police protection, though security personnel themselves have also been targeted in attacks.
This month, Pakistan’s National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) for Polio Eradication conducted a sub-national polio vaccination campaign across 88 districts of the country, which successfully reached approximately 21 million children under the age of five, according to the polio program.
The next nationwide polio vaccination campaign is scheduled for October 13-19, with health authorities aiming to reach approximately 45.4 million children through more than 400,000 dedicated polio workers who will go door-to-door to ensure that every child is vaccinated.
“These campaigns are designed to rapidly strengthen immunity and enhance protection as part of ongoing efforts to eradicate polio from Pakistan,” the polio program said. “Vaccination remains the only effective protection against lifelong disability.”
