KP reports 1st polio case in year 2024 amid vaccination challenges

PESHAWAR: A nine-month-old baby girl from the Mohmand district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been diagnosed with polio, marking the first case in the province this year and bringing Pakistan’s total to 20 cases.

Unfortunately, the baby had only received two polio doses, highlighting the importance of completing the vaccination series. This case follows another recent diagnosis of a two-year-old boy from Quetta, which was reported on September 18.

The majority of Pakistan’s polio cases this year, 14 out of 20, have been reported in Balochistan. Dr. Ayesha Raza Farooq, the National Emergency Operation Centre’s (NEOC) Focal Person, emphasized that disruptions in vaccination campaigns in certain areas of Balochistan have allowed the virus to spread.

In addition, she stressed that ensuring multiple vaccine doses reach every child is crucial for eradication efforts.

Over the past four years, Pakistan has reported a total of 45 polio cases. The number of cases has fluctuated, with only one case reported in 2021, 20 cases in 2022, eight cases in 2023, and 16 cases in 2024.

The National Polio Eradication Program has received significant funding to combat the disease, with $180 million allocated in 2022, $187 million in 2023, and $80 million in 2024.

In response to the recent cases, Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has suspended the relevant District Health Officer and EPI Coordinator for negligence.

The Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme has been working tirelessly since 1994 to eradicate the disease, with a network of over 339,000 trained workers and state-of-the-art laboratories.

Despite these efforts, polio remains endemic in Pakistan and Afghanistan, with the virus mainly affecting children under the age of five.