ISLAMABAD: Two more cases of the wild poliovirus type-1 (WPV1) have been confirmed in Sindh, taking the total number of countrywide cases to 39 so far in 2024, said the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC).
According to Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) officials on Sunday, the two new cases — a boy from Mirpurkhas and a girl from Sanghar – are the first known instances of the disease in their respective areas this year.
According to the PEI officials in Islamabad, Sindh is experiencing an increase in virus transmission, particularly after multiple environmental samples from Mirpurkhas tested positive for WPV1 earlier this year.
After Balochistan recorded 20 cases, Sindh has now confirmed 12, while five have been diagnosed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and one each in Punjab and Islamabad.
At least three children have also died due to the disease this year in Pakistan, according to National EOC sources. These victims belonged to Karachi and Balochistan. The NEOC officials said the child, Abdullah, who died of poliovirus hailed from Karachi’s Bin Qasim Town in the Malir district while the other two children belonged to Balochistan’s Killa Saifullah and Quetta.
Polio vaccination drive to commence on Oct 25
On the other hand, a nationwide polio vaccination drive is set to commence on October 25, aiming to immunize over 4.5 million children across Pakistan.
According to sources, the campaign will be conducted in three phases, starting from Sindh province.
The first phase will begin on October 25 in Sindh, followed by the second phase on October 28 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The third phase will commence on November 11 in Punjab, Balochistan, and Islamabad.
The drive aims to vaccinate over 4.5 million children, including 2.3 million in Punjab, 1.6 million in Sindh, 730,000 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and 265,000 in Balochistan.
Additionally, 461,125 children will be vaccinated in Islamabad, 740,000 in Azad Kashmir, and 281,232 in Gilgit-Baltistan.
The vaccination drive will also include vitamin A supplements for children aged 6 to 59 months. A total of 455,504 frontline workers will be deployed for the campaign.
