Islamabad : Two new cases of polio have been reported in Pakistan, taking the number of patients suffering from this deadly infection this year to 41. This situation remains a serious challenge to efforts to eliminate poliovirus. According to media reports Dawn newspaper, these cases are from Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces and have been reported in recent days.
Recently, a three-year-old girl was found infected in Loralai district of Balochistan, who became paralyzed on October 8. The National Institute of Health has confirmed this infection. This is the first polio case in the district this year, and according to reports, the girl was not given anti-polio dose.
The second case has come from Kohat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where a two and a half year old boy was found infected. So far, 21 cases have been reported from Balochistan, 12 from Sindh, 6 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and one each from Punjab and Islamabad. In view of these cases, a nationwide campaign to administer polio doses will be launched next week under the 'Pakistan Polio Programme', in which more than 4.5 crore children will be vaccinated.
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Ayesha Raza Farooq, an official in the Prime Minister's Polio Eradication Programme, acknowledged that the polio virus continues to spread, but assured to develop a concrete strategy to eliminate the serious disease by June 2025.
According to the World Health Organization, Pakistan and Afghanistan are the two countries where polio still exists as an epidemic. The increase in polio cases and its effective control requires immediate action, so that the children of the country can be kept safe from this deadly disease. This situation has become even more of a concern ahead of Polio Day (24 October), as this day is celebrated to raise awareness about polio eradication.
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