Pakistan's polio tally soars to 26 as two more children infected

• Latest cases reported in Sindh's Karachi East and Sujawal districts.
• PM’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication regrets spike in polio cases. 
• "Heartbreaking that children still being threatened by polio": Farooq
  

ISLAMABAD: Two new cases of polio virus have been reported in Pakistan, taking the country's yearly tally to 26 amid a sharp rise in the spread of the crippling disease despite rigorous efforts by the authorities for polio eradication. 

Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by virus mainly affecting children under the age of five years, who are malnourished or have weak immunity because of being under-vaccinated or not vaccinated for polio and other childhood diseases.

The illness invades the nervous system and causes paralysis or even death. While there is no cure for polio, vaccination is the most effective way to protect children from this crippling disease.

The resurgence of polio in the country presents a significant setback for the country’s efforts to eradicate the disease, as officials work to bolster vaccination campaigns and raise public awareness about the importance of immunisation.

Pakistan is one of the two remaining polio-endemic countries in the world, along with Afghanistan, and the number of cases on a yearly basis has significantly dropped in the country. 

The latest cases, reported from Karachi's East and Sujawal, were confirmed by the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health, The News reported. 

These mark the first cases of the year for both districts.

As per the report, a seven-year-old girl was paralysed by the poliovirus in district East and a 12-month-old boy in Tehsil Jati of Sujawal district. 

“It is heartbreaking that Pakistani children are still being threatened by a disease that can be easily prevented with the help of an easily available polio vaccine,” said Ayesha Raza Farooq, Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication.

She stressed that once a child is paralysed by polio, the damage is irreversible, but repeated vaccinations can prevent it. 

Farooq emphasised the urgency of the situation, calling on parents, community leaders and teachers to act swiftly. 

The Pakistan Polio Programme has laid out a strategic plan to curb virus transmission, with the goal of halting its spread by mid-2025. The plan, developed in consultation with provincial authorities, focuses on reaching every child in high-risk areas, improving vaccination campaign quality and strengthening community engagement. 

A recent mass vaccination campaign in September targeted 33 million children under five across 115 districts. Another round is scheduled to begin on October 28, with officials emphasising the need to reach mobile and migrant populations as well. 

Of the 26 polio cases reported this year, 15 are from Balochistan, seven from Sindh, two from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.