ISLAMABAD: Two more polio cases were found in the country on Friday, taking the total cases for the current year to 52.

According to an official of the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradi­cation at the Nat­ional Institute of Health, the lab has confirmed detection of two more wild poliovirus type 1 cases, taking the number of total cases in the country this year to 52.

“The newly detected cases come from Tehsil Darazinda of district Dera Ismail Khan affecting a girl and a boy aged 18 and 36 months, respectively. Genetic sequencing of the samples collected from the children is under way,” he said.

“Dera Ismail Khan, one of the seven polio endemic districts of southern KP, has now reported five polio cases this year. Of the 52 cases reported in the country this year, 24 are from Balochistan, 13 from Sindh, 13 from KP and one each from Punjab and Islamabad,” he said.

“There is no cure for polio. Multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and completion of the routine vaccination schedule for all children under the age of five is essential to keep them protected. It is critical for parents to open their doors to vaccinators and ensure that all children in their care receive oral polio vaccine to keep them protected from the devastating effects of polio,” the official said.

Published in Dawn, November 23rd, 2024