ISLAMABAD, Dec 18 (APP):The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH) has confirmed the detection of the 64th wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) case of 2024 from the country.
The lab confirmed the case from Jacobabad. This is the fourth polio case of the year.
Pakistan is responding to the resurgence of WPV1 this year with 64 cases reported so far. Of these, 26 are from Balochistan, 18 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 18 from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
Polio is a paralyzing disease that has no cure. Multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and completion of the routine va
ccination schedule for all children under the age of five is essential to provide children high immunity against this terrible disease.
The Pakistan Polio Program conducts multiple mass va
ccination drives in a year, bringing the vaccine to children at their doorsteps, while the Expanded Programme on Immunization provides va
ccinations against 12 childhood disease free of charge at health facilities.
It is crucial for parents to ensure va
ccination for all their children under the age of five to keep them protected.
A large-scale polio va
ccination campaign is currently underway in the country to va
ccinate more than 44 million children under five in 143 districts against polio.
To keep children safe, it is critical for parents to welcome va
ccinators among them and bring their children forward for va
ccination.
