Pakistan reported another case of polio on Thursday, bringing the total number of polio cases in the country for 2024 to 70.
The Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) reported that the case had just come to light, though it was first detected in 2024.
The child diagnosed with the disease is from Karachi East, confirmed by the National Health Organization’s Polio Reference Laboratory, making it the second case in the district for 2024.
EOC stated that the child began showing symptoms of the disease on December 21, 2024.
In 2024, a noticeable increase and intensification of polio cases were observed in Pakistan, according to the EOC.
Balochistan was the hardest-hit province, reporting 27 cases. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recorded 21, while Sindh had 20 cases out of the 70 reported in total.
Punjab and Islamabad reported one case each in 2024.
Pakistan is one of the two polio-endemic countries in the world, alongside Afghanistan, and although the number of cases had significantly decreased over the years, there has been a recent spike.
The Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme explains that polio is a “paralyzing” disease with “no cure,” and the completion of routine vaccination for all children under five provides “high immunity against this deadly disease.”
The government has launched multiple vaccination drives in its efforts to eradicate the disease, with the most recent campaign in December 2024 aiming to inoculate 44 million children across the country.
A week-long anti-polio campaign was also launched in Balochistan on December 30, with the goal of vaccinating over 2.6 million children up to five years of age.
