2 more children paralysed by polio as Pakistan’s 2024 tally rises to 26

ISLAMABAD: Polio eradication authorities in Pakistan reported two more polio cases on Tuesday, raising the total number of children paralyzed by the virus this year to 26.

The cases, confirmed by the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health, involve children from Karachi East and Sujawal districts in Sindh, where environmental samples have recently detected the presence of poliovirus. This marks the first case of the year for both districts.

In district East of Karachi, an 84-month-old girl was paralyzed by the poliovirus while a 12-month-old boy in Tehsil Jati of Sujawal district was crippled by the poliovirus.

“It is heartbreaking that Pakistani children are still being threatened by a disease that can be easily prevented with the help of an easily available polio vaccine,” said Ayesha Raza Farooq, Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication.

She stressed that once a child is paralyzed by polio, the damage is irreversible, but repeated vaccinations can prevent it. Farooq emphasized the urgency of the situation, calling on parents, community leaders and teachers to act swiftly. The Pakistan Polio Programme has laid out a strategic plan to curb virus transmission, with the goal of halting its spread by mid-2025. The plan, developed in consultation with provincial authorities, focuses on reaching every child in high-risk areas, improving vaccination campaign quality and strengthening community engagement. A recent mass vaccination campaign in September targeted 33 million children under five across 115 districts. Another round is scheduled to begin on October 28, with officials emphasizing the need to reach mobile and migrant populations as well. Of the 26 polio cases reported this year, 15 have been from Balochistan, seven from Sindh, two from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.