- First case in Chagai district confirmed.
- Lab detects Poliovirus Type-1 (WPV1).
- Genetic sequencing of samples underway.
Pakistan reported another case of poliovirus on Wednesday in the Chagai district of Balochistan, taking the country’s total tally of this year to 43.
According to the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health, the Poliovirus Type-1 (WPV1) was detected in a child.
The latest case marks the first confirmed polio case in the Chagai district and highlights a troubling trend with the province emerging as an area of intense polio transmission this year.
So far, 22 cases have been reported from Balochistan, 12 from Sindh, seven from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
The lab said that the genetic sequencing of the samples collected from the child was underway.
A nationwide polio vaccination campaign is currently ongoing in the country to continue till November 3, aiming to vaccinate over 45 million children under the age of five against the virus.
With Pakistan being one of only two countries where wild poliovirus transmission has not been eradicated, health officials are urging parents to actively participate in the upcoming nationwide polio vaccination campaign.
Officials stress the importance of full participation as incomplete vaccination coverage leaves communities vulnerable to the continued spread and resurgence of polio.
The urgency of the campaign is underscored by the virus’s persistence, which officials say is due to various challenges in vaccination coverage, including vaccine refusals, high population movement, and gaps in reaching remote areas.
Since its launch in 1994, Pakistan’s polio eradication programme has largely contained the virus. However, recent genetic traces show that WPV1 is still circulating in previously controlled areas.
The current challenge is to eliminate polio’s final strongholds through ongoing vaccinations and public cooperation.