Pakistan records 50th polio case in 2024

ISLAMABAD, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) — As Pakistan continued to battle a crippling disease, the country recorded another polio case, increasing the overall tally to 50 in 2024, officials from the health ministry said on Tuesday.
The new case was reported from the country’s northwest Tank district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province as health officials confirmed the detection of type 1 wild poliovirus in a 20-month-old girl, according to the officials from the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH) under the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination.
This is the second polio case from Tank district, said the NIH officials, adding that 24 cases have been reported from southwest Balochistan province, 13 from southern Sindh province, 11 from KP and one each from eastern Punjab province and federal capital Islamabad.
Urging parents and guardians to protect their children from the disease, the health ministry said that as there is no cure for polio, only multiple doses of the polio vaccine can provide protection to children from the devastating effects of the disease.
“The polio program brings the vaccine to citizens’ doorsteps several times a year. Given the spread of the virus, it is critical for parents to ensure that their children are vaccinated in all polio drives and up to date on their routine vaccinations,” according to NIH officials. ■