ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday reported one new polio case in the Kharan district of its southwestern Balochistan province, health authorities said, bringing the total number of polio cases this year to 15.

The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH) confirmed the poliovirus in a 23-month-old child from Kharan.

This is the first case from Kharan and the 12th from the Balochistan province this year, while two cases have been reported from Sindh and one from Punjab, underscoring the constant threat the current outbreak poses to children’s wellbeing.

“Balochistan is facing an intense outbreak of WPV1 following disruptions to polio vaccination campaigns last year, and vulnerable children are now suffering the consequences of missing a crucial vaccine which offers protection from this terrible disease,” Ayesha Raza Farooq, the prime minister’s focal person on polio eradication, said in a statement.

“The virus is extremely efficient in finding those children with weak levels of immunity and showing us where we have consistently missed children, not just in polio campaigns but also for routine immunization.”

She said the affected child was subsequently diagnosed with malnutrition and passed away.

“Over the past few weeks, we have been gearing up for the next polio campaign working with our provincial teams to strategize on localized approaches to reach missed children and strengthen routine immunization rates,” the official said.

“We have been very focused on identifying our weak points and working to plug these gaps ahead of the next campaign and we should soon see progress in reversing virus spread.”

Pakistan’s polio program has conducted an extensive self-critical assessment in consultation with all provinces and is implementing a comprehensive roadmap to interrupt virus transmission, particularly in polio high-risk districts of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh provinces, according to officials.

Anwarul Haq, coordinator of the National Emergency Operations Center, said they had begun preparations for a vaccination campaign in early September to rapidly raise vaccination rates and build population immunity in polio hotspots.

The campaign is being conducted in synchronization with a polio campaign in Afghanistan to ensure enhanced immunity across the region.

“Poliovirus has been found in 59 districts so far, with the most detections in Quetta and Karachi blocs of Balochistan and Sindh,” he said.

“High-risk districts are a high priority for us, and we will make all efforts to ensure that no child is missed during this campaign.”