Polio Cases in Pakistan Surge to 50, Raising Global Health Concerns

Pakistan is still struggling to contain the polio virus and the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) has received its 50th case in the current year. The most recent case was reported in a 20-month-old-girl from Tank district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa showing that the problem of wiping out the wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) still persists in the country.

Geographical Dispersion and Provincial Effect

Balochistan is the worst affected province with 24 cases in the year 2023. Sindh comes second with 13 cases and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reported 11 cases. While Punjab and Islamabad have reported only one case of COVID-19. New case in Tank district which is Genetically connected to a case in July in the same area indicates that the virus is still circulating.

Measures taken to prevent diseases and their complete elimination.

This accords with ideas that healthcare officials promote the necessity of continued levels of vaccination especially in vulnerable areas. Pakistan still belongs to the two-country list, for which the local polys are still being transmitted in the wild. Sustaining comprehensive immunization remains a challenge due to factors such as regional insecurity, disinformation and lack of community cooperation.