ISLAMABAD: Two more cases of poliovirus have been reported from Sindh, bringing the total number of cases from across the country to 26.

The latest cases have been confirmed in Karachi East and Sujawal districts, according to an official of the regional reference laboratory for polio eradication at the National Institute of Health, Islamabad.

“This marks the first case reported this year in both districts,” he said, adding that so far this year seven cases had been detected in the province.

Of the 26 cases in the country, 22 were found in the Balochistan and Sindh provinces, while two cases were detected in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and one each was confirmed in Punjab and the federal capital.

“It is heartbreaking that Pakistani children are still being threatened by a disease that can be easily prevented with the help of an easily available polio vaccine,” said Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication Ayesha Raza Farooq.

“There is no cure for polio. Once a child is paralysed, it is forever and irreversible. Fortunately, repeated polio vaccination can keep children protected from the paralytic effects of this horrible disease,” she said.

“The decisions we take today are extremely critical to protect the future of our children. I urge all parents, caretakers, teachers, com-munity elders and neighbours to understand the urgency of the situation and take immediate steps to get all children in their care vaccinated immediately.”

She said, “One child affected by polio means that hundreds of children around them can be silent carriers of the virus. No child anywhere is safe until all children in Pakistan are repeatedly vaccinated for polio, building a wall of protection so the virus cannot break through.”

Under a ‘strategic roadmap’, made in consultation with all provinces to control the virus spread and interrupt transmission by mid-2025, focus of the polio programme was on coverage, especially in high-risk areas, improving campaign quality and building community trust and an oversight for better outcomes.

A mass vaccination campaign concluded last month successfully reached 33 million children in 115 districts. A second mass vaccination is being planned from Oct 28.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2024