Pakistan's Polio Battle: New Cases Highlight Enduring Challenge
Pakistan faces ongoing struggles with polio despite global eradication efforts. Two additional cases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa bring the total to 23 this year. Challenges like security, vaccine hesitancy, and misinformation impede progress. Polio remains endemic in only Pakistan and Afghanistan, making eradication in these regions vital.
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Pakistan continues to battle polio, with recent reports confirming two new cases of the virus in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, bringing the year's total to 23. Despite global eradication successes, Pakistan, alongside Afghanistan, remains one of two countries where polio is still endemic, reports the Dawn.
The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at Islamabad's National Institutes of Health (NIH) identified the latest cases as a 16-month-old girl in Tank district's Union Council Mullazai and a 24-month-old girl in North Waziristan district's Union Council Miran Shah-3. Polio, a highly contagious, incurable disease, can lead to lifelong paralysis, with vaccination being the only effective defense.
The challenges are compounded by security issues, vaccine hesitancy, and misinformation. Recent reports from Dawn further highlighted that the virus was detected in 36% of sewage samples from 87 districts in July, underscoring the ongoing threat. Pakistan has seen 71 cases in 2024, with the virus present in nearly 90 districts, including areas in Punjab and Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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