ISLAMABAD: The country has reported another polio case, bringing the tally for the current year so far to 42.

An official of the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health confirmed the detection of Wild Poliovirus Type-1 (WPV1) case in Nowshera district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

“The victim is a 29-month-old female resident of UC Gandheri. This is the first polio case from Nowshera and the 42nd reported across the country.

“So far 21 cases have been reported from Balochistan, 12 from Sindh, seven from KP, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad. Genetic sequencing of the samples collected from the child is underway,” he said.

A nationwide polio vaccination campaign is ongoing from October 28 to November 3, aiming to vaccinate over 45 million children under the age of five.

Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2024