Islamabad, September 26, 2024 – Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication Ms Ayesha Raza Farooq has reiterated the importance of repeated polio vaccination to protect children from the crippling poliovirus as Pakistan reported its 23rd polio case of the year from Kohat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at NIH has notified the case from Kohat where a 10-month-old child has been paralyzed, marking the second case from the province and 23rd from the country in 2024 and highlighting the constant threat of poliovirus spread to children nationwide.

“It is devastating that too many children are suffering the consequences of missed vaccination opportunities,” said Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication Ms Ayesha Raza Farooq. “Polio is a terrible disease that alters a child’s life forever, snatching the chance to live up to their full potential.”

Urging parents, caregivers and communities to collectively take responsibility for the wellbeing of all children around them, she said: “Poliovirus is in your area and the consequences of a polio infection for children are devastating and irreversible. The only means to protect them is to ensure that all children under the age of five in your home and communities are vaccinated with multiple doses of oral polio vaccine and have completed their routine immunization doses.”

Consistent implementation of polio campaigns in KP has faced challenges in recent months due to several factors like persistent population movement – internal and cross-border, insecurity, community mistrust, demands-based boycotts and disruptions to access to children in polio high-risk areas.

Kohat has reported four positive environmental samples this year, while its neighboring district of Peshawar has reported positive sewage samples for nearly a year now, indicating that the virus is silently spreading in the region and putting children at risk from a preventable disease.

The National Emergency Operations Center for Polio Eradication (NEOC) is implementing a targeted roadmap in response to the current outbreak which focuses on addressing the gaps in access to children, campaign quality, and building trust in communities to increase vaccine acceptance.

Nearly 33 million children under five were vaccinated in a campaign that was held this month in 115 districts, while two large-scale, door-to-door vaccination campaigns are planned for later this year to close immunity gaps and curb virus spread.

NEOC Coordinator Mr Muhammad Anwar ul Haq said that the Polio Programme is committed to identifying the gaps and challenges that are hampering progress and to address them.

“The virus has been showing us where there are immunity gaps and where we have missed children in the past. It is imperative for us to close these immunity gaps. Let’s unite against polio as a nation and ensure vaccination of our children at every opportunity,” he said.

Note for Editor:

Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by poliovirus mainly affecting children under the age of five years. It invades the nervous system and can cause paralysis or even death. While there is no cure for polio, vaccination is the most effective way to protect children from this crippling disease. Each time a child under the age of five is vaccinated, their protection against the virus is increased. Repeated immunisations have protected millions of children from polio, allowing almost all countries in the world to become polio-free. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two remaining polio endemic countries globally. 

For further information, please contact: Syed Farhan, Communications Officer, NEOC,

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