Pakistan reports two polio cases, tally for current year reaches three

An official of the Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the National Emergency Operations Centre for Polio Eradication (NEOC) has confirmed two new cases of wild poliovirus — one in Bannu and another in North Waziristan.

He added that access constraints in these areas continue to facilitate transmission of the virus, posing an ongoing risk to children’s health and well-being.

“The two new cases were reported through the poliovirus surveillance network and confirmed by the WHO-accredited Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH).” he added.

The first case of the year was reported from Sindh, while the detection of two cases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has raised the polio tally to three.

The official said that, with the sudden increase in heat, it seemed that the high transmission period would start much earlier this year. “Usually, the high transmission season starts by the end of May and ends in September,” he added.

It is pertinent to mention that the polio virus remains less active at low temperatures and becomes more active at higher temperatures. As a result, summer is referred to as the high transmission season.

Polio is a paralysing disease that has no cure. Multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and completion of the routine vaccination schedule for all children under the age of five are essential to provide children with high immunity against this terrible disease.

The Pakistan Polio Programme conducts multiple mass vaccination drives in a year, bringing the vaccine to children at their doorsteps.

Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries in the world where polio cases are still reported. The World Health Organization has imposed polio-related travel restrictions on Pakistan, requiring since 2014 that all international travellers carry a polio vaccination certificate.