Islamabad, Jan 15
Pakistan has reported 71 cases of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in 2024, the National Institute of Health (NIH) said.
The 71st case was confirmed on Tuesday and involved a boy from Jacobabad district in the country's southern Sindh province, with symptoms first appearing on December 27, 2024, the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the NIH said on Wednesday.
The institute said that the distribution of cases includes 27 from Balochistan, 21 each from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
The Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme has intensified its efforts to combat the resurgence of WPV1.
According to the NIH, the programme conducts multiple vaccination drives annually, delivering vaccines directly to households, news agency reported.
To bolster these efforts, Pakistan will launch its first nationwide polio vaccination campaign of 2025 from February 3 to February 9, the NIH said, urging parents to ensure that all children under five receive the vaccine during the campaign.