ISLAMABAD: The Reg­­ional Reference Labo­r­atory for Polio Eradica­tion at the National Insti­tute of Health on Tuesday confirmed the detection of 74th wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) case of the year 2024 in the country.

On Tuesday, the lab confirmed one polio case in Shikarpur district of Sindh. This is the second polio case from Shikarpur for 2024, an official of the lab said.

Only last month, an official at the laboratory at the National Institute of Health confirmed the detection of the wild poliovirus type 1 case from Thatta. “This is the first polio case from Thatta for 2024. Since the sample was collected in Dece­m­­ber last year, the case has been categorised as part of last year’s tally,” the official had stated.

The incubation period for the sample is nearly three weeks, which can extend further during the winter season, accor­ding to the official.

The country reported a total of 74 cases in 2024. Of these, 27 were found in Balochistan, 23 in Sindh, 22 in Khyber Pakhtun­khwa, and one each in Punjab and Islamabad.

So far, in 2025, only one polio case has been found and that is in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan area, the official said.

The Pakistan Polio Progra­mme conducts multiple mass vaccination drives each year, bringing the vaccine directly to children’s doorsteps.

Published in Dawn, February 12th, 2025