Islamabad, Oct 2: The total number of polio cases in Pakistan has risen to 26 after two more cases were reported from Sindh, the National Institute of Health (NIH) announced. According to an NIH official, one case was detected in the Karachi East district, and the other was in the Sajawal district on Tuesday, reports local media.
Of the 26 cases, 22 have been reported in the provinces of Balochistan and Sindh, while two cases were found in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and one case each in Punjab and the federal capital, reports Dawn. Prime Minister's Focal Person for Polio Eradication, Ayesha Raza Farooq, expressed concern over the ongoing threat posed by the disease.
"It is heartbreaking that Pakistani children are still being threatened by a disease that can be easily prevented with the polio vaccine," she said. Stressing that there is no cure for polio, she highlighted the importance of repeated vaccinations to protect children from the disease's paralytic effects. Farooq urged parents, teachers, community elders, and caregivers to ensure all children are vaccinated.
"One child affected by polio means that hundreds of children around them can be silent carriers of the virus," she warned, adding that no child is safe until all children in Pakistan are vaccinated to build a barrier against the virus. A strategic road map, developed with input from all provinces, aims to control the virus's spread and interrupt transmission by mid-2025.
The polio program's focus is on improving vaccination coverage in high-risk areas, enhancing campaign quality, and fostering community trust. A mass vaccination campaign last month successfully reached 33 million children across 115 districts, and another nationwide campaign is scheduled to begin on October 28.
