Pakistan’s health authorities confirmed a new case of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tank district, marking the country’s 69th case for 2024 and the last detected for the year.
The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Islamabad identified the case on January 7, though it was detected in December. This brings the total cases in Tank district to five, with Balochistan reporting the highest tally of 27 cases nationwide.
“Pakistan is responding to the resurgence of WPV1 [in 2024] with 69 cases reported so far,” the health ministry said in a statement.
Vaccination Efforts Intensify
The Pakistan Polio Program, which conducts multiple mass vaccination campaigns annually, recently concluded a week-long drive in Balochistan on January 6. The first nationwide campaign of 2025 is set to run from February 3-9, during which vaccinators will visit households across the country.
Authorities urged parents to ensure their children are vaccinated, emphasizing the importance of eradicating the disease.
Challenges to Polio Eradication
Since its inception in 1994, Pakistan’s polio eradication program has faced significant hurdles, including misinformation and resistance from religious hard-liners. Some have propagated false claims that the vaccine is a Western conspiracy to sterilize Muslim children or facilitate espionage.
Despite these challenges, health officials remain committed to eliminating the virus and protecting future generations from the disease.
