Number of polio cases in Pakistan climbs to 22 this year

• Balochistan becomes polio epicentre with 15 cases this year.
• Multiple challenges hinder Pakistan's polio eradication efforts.
  
• 2 major door-to-door vaccination campaigns planned this year.
  

ISLAMABAD: Authorities on Wednesday confirmed that a 30-month-old boy from Pishin, Balochistan, was struck by the poliovirus bringing the total number of polio cases in Pakistan to 22 this year.

This young boy in Pishin also became the 15th individual in Balochistan to be affected by the disease this year, after six cases hailed from the province's Qila Abdullah, two from Quetta, and one each from Dera Bugti, Chaman, Jhal Magsi, Zhob, Qila Saifullah and Kharan.

Meanwhile, Sindh recorded four cases, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Islamabad each recording one case so far.

Such concentration of cases has positioned Balochistan as the epicenter of the current polio outbreak.

According to officials from the Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI), the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health confirmed the presence of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in the child, who hails from the Union Council Cadet College in District Pishin.

Ayesha Raza Farooq, the prime minister’s focal person for polio eradication, voiced frustration at the lack of progress, emphasising the pivotal role parents play in halting the spread of virus.

"Each new case is a heartbreaking reminder that we are failing our children," she stated. “The solution is simple: timely and repeated vaccination.”

However, Pakistan’s polio eradication efforts are being undermined by multiple challenges, including migration and movement of population. 

Farooq emphasised that parental refusals, often due to misinformation or mistrust, have created dangerous gaps in immunisation coverage.

"Parents should fulfill their national and religious duty by vaccinating their children against polio," she said.

She also highlighted that the security concerns, particularly in the conflict-prone areas of Balochistan, have also hindered access to children. In some areas, polio workers face the threat of violence, leading to missed children in vaccination rounds.

These remarks from the PM's focal person for polio eradiction came after suspected militants attacked a police team escorting polio workers near Malangi Morr on Chodhwan Road in Daraban tehsil on Wednesday.

The police said that cops were on duty to provide security to polio workers in the ongoing anti-polio vaccination drive near Malangi Morr on Chodhwan Road when militants opened fire on them with automatic weapons.

However, the cops guarding the vaccinators returned the fire promptly and forced the attackers to flee to a nearby forest.

No casualty was reported during the exchange of fire between the militants and police. Soon after the incident, a heavy contingent of police rushed to the spot and launched a search operation.

Additionally, reports of data manipulation by frontline health workers have emerged, with some vaccinators allegedly falsifying records to meet targets. This "fudging" of data has further complicated efforts to track unvaccinated children and address immunity gaps.

Muhammad Anwarul Haq, national coordinator for the Polio Emergency Operations Centre, called for urgent action to close these gaps.

"Every missed vaccination is an opportunity for the virus to win," he warned, stressing that collective action from both the government and the public is critical to reversing the current trend. 

He also urged parents to welcome polio workers into their homes, stressing that vaccinating children remained the most effective way to combat the virus.

With Balochistan facing a unique set of challenges, including vaccine hesitancy, population mobility and insecurity, the government has updated its National Polio Eradication Emergency Operations Plan. 

Two major door-to-door vaccination campaigns are planned for later this year in an attempt to stop the virus from spreading further.