Pakistan’s polio eradication program has recently reported three new polio cases, taking the total number of cases reported for the country in 2024 to 59. Given the alarming rise in polio cases as this country stands alongside Afghanistan as one of the last two polio-endemic countries, it has triggered worries and prompted officials to again rethink their strategies for disease elimination.
A wide-ranging polio vaccination campaign is to take off in the middle of December, targeting more than 44 million children. Yet the program faces hindrances such as refusals from parents to let their children be vaccinated. Last month, nearly 500,000 children missed vaccinations owing to parental refusals.
The latest polio cases were confirmed by the National Emergency Operation Center for Polio Eradication, which were reported to be caused by the wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in areas such as DI Khan, Karachi Keamari, and Kashmore.
So far in 2024:
Balochistan- 26 cases reported
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa- 16 cases
Sindh- 15 cases
Punjab and Islamabad have 1 case each
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With paralysis that cannot be reverted, polio still remains a significant threat to the health of children. Despite much immunization drive their numbers keep growing in Pakistan due to prompt tapes, religious opposing, and militant attacks on vaccination teams.
Numbers of recorded annual cases were confirmed during the early 1990s for Pakistan and were to the magnitude of around 20,000 in a year. Reduced to just eight cases in 2018, only six were recorded by the year 2023, with one last case noted in 2021. Pakistan’s polio eradication thrust started in 1994 but has failed to purge the disease from its territory due to myriad factors such as those mentioned above.
Several studies have indicated that maternal illiteracy, limited knowledge of parents on vaccines, poverty, and rurality are some of the factors that have heavily influenced continuing refusal regarding vaccination.