- Cases are from Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, Jacobabad, Sukkur.
- Sukkur reports its first polio case, says National EOC.
- Over 60% of affected children lacked routine immunisation doses.
KARACHI: Pakistan has confirmed four new cases of polio, bringing the total number of cases in 2024 to 63, according to the National Emergency Operations Centre (EOC).
The cases were reported in Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, Jacobabad, and Sukkur, marking the first polio case recorded in Sukkur.
The EOC highlighted that this is the ninth case from Dera Ismail Khan and the third from Jacobabad, while the affected child in Sukkur is a boy.
The provincial distribution of polio cases this year includes 26 in Balochistan, 18 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 17 in Sindh, and one each in Punjab and Islamabad.
The highly contagious viral disease predominantly affects children under five, particularly those with weak immunity or inadequate vaccination.
With over 60% of children affected by polio in 2024 having not received routine immunisation, health authorities established a high-level committee to improve coordination between the Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) and the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI), according to The News.
The committee, led by Prime Minister’s Coordinator for Health Services Dr Malik Muhtar Ahmed Barath, includes provincial health directors and representatives from international organisations like WHO, UNICEF, CDC, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Its primary focus is to address challenges in high-risk areas and enhance immunisation coverage across the country.
