A six-year-old boy from Chakwal, Punjab has been diagnosed with poliovirus just a day after two new cases emerged in Pakistan, bringing the total number of cases this year to 12. According to a report from The News, citing an official from the Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI), the child has been paralyzed by Wild Poliovirus Type 1, marking the first case from Punjab.
So far, nine cases have been reported in Balochistan and two in Sindh. The PEI official mentioned that genetic sequencing of the Chakwal case is underway. The two additional cases identified on Saturday are from the districts of Jhal Magsi and Killa Abdullah in Balochistan.
The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Islamabad confirmed the presence of Type-1 Wild Poliovirus (WPV1) in a stool sample from a 75-month-old boy in Chakwal. This child began showing symptoms of paralysis on July 16, 2024.
The cases in Jhal Magsi and Killa Abdullah were confirmed to be linked to the virus strain from Usta Muhammad and are still under genetic analysis. The Jhal Magsi case, which had symptoms starting July 5, is connected to a virus strain previously found in Usta Muhammad. The Killa Abdullah case, with symptoms starting June 10, is still being analyzed.
Epidemiologists highlight that the polio eradication efforts in Pakistan have faced significant challenges, including local protests, security issues, and vaccine hesitancy. These problems have particularly affected vaccination campaigns in Balochistan, where nine of this year’s cases have been reported across six districts.
