First polio case confirmed in Islamabad in 16 years

ISLAMABAD: The first polio case in 16 years has been reported in Islamabad, bringing the cases tally in Pakistan to 17 in the current year, health officials confirmed. 

According to the National Institute of Health (NIH) official, the polio virus was reported in a child from the federal capital’s Union Council number 4.

Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication, Ayesha Raza Farooq, expressed the development as unfortunate and urged parents to ensure their children are vaccinated to protect against the virus.

Previously, the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at NIH confirmed that the poliovirus was found in the environmental samples of the twin cities in June 2024, the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH) confirmed.

Earlier, the Coordinator of the National Emergency Operations Centre Anwar Haq notified that from September 9-13, the Polio Programme will launch a large-scale vaccination campaign across 115 districts to vaccinate 33 million children under five.

Vaccinators will go door-to-door to deliver the oral polio vaccine (OPV), to reach children in hard-to-reach and underserved areas, he said.

The virus has now spread to 64 districts across Pakistan, affecting all four provinces and one district in Azad Jammu Kashmir.