Poliovirus cases tally hit 32 in Pakistan as four more diagnosed

Pakistan is facing a resurgence of poliovirus, as four more cases have been reported on Tuesday, leading a total tally to 32 this year.

The authorities confirmed the two new cases in Jacobabad, while Karachi and Dera Ismail Khan each reported one case.

A 32-month-old girl and an 18-month-old boy in Jacobabad were diagnosed with the highly infectious virus. A 6-year-old boy resident of District Malir in Karachi was affected by the disease.

Similarly, Dera Ismail Khan detected the virus in a 22-month-old baby boy.

The statistics show that following the new four cases, the total tally reached 32, equivalent to half of the estimated number 55-65 predicted by the experts.

Prime Minister’s Focal Person for polio Eradication, Ayesha Raza Farooq, expressed concern over the increasing number of poliovirus.

“There is no treatment for poliovirus once a child becomes paralysed. I urge all parents, caretakers, teachers, community elders and neighbours to understand the urgency of the situation and take immediate measures to get all children vaccinated immediately,” she said.

Ms Ayesha said once a child is affected with the virus, hundreds of children around them enter in a silent threat.

"No child in Pakistan is safe until all children are repeatedly vaccinated for poliovirus.”

The campaign against the virus is being conducted in all provinces under the ‘strategic roadmap’ to interrupt the transmission by mid-2025. The programme especially covered high-risk areas.