The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health in Islamabad has confirmed the detection of another wild poliovirus (WPV1) case from Pakistan.
On Monday, 18 November 2024, the lab confirmed the case from girl-child, from Tank district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, bringing the number of cases this year to 50.
Genetic sequencing of the virus isolated from collected samples indicates it is genetically linked to WPV1 detected in the same district in July.
This is the second polio case from Tank and 50th polio case from Pakistan this year. So far, 24 cases have been reported from Balochistan, 13 from Sindh, 11 from KP and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
Tank is one of the polio-endemic districts of southern KP and has reported multiple positive environmental samples this year as well as two cases, indicating that poliovirus circulation remains a threat to children.
There is no cure for polio. Multiple doses of the polio vaccine provide protection to children from the devastating effects of this disease.
The Polio Programme brings the vaccine to citizens’ doorsteps several times a year. Given the spread of the virus, it is critical for parents to ensure that their children are vaccinated in all polio drives and up to date on their routine vaccinations.