ISLAMABAD: Pakistan confirmed its third polio case of 2023 on Wednesday, adding to the ongoing challenge of eradicating this debilitating disease, according to Ministry of National Health sources.
The National Polio Laboratory has verified the presence of the polio virus in a child from the Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). Health ministry sources disclosed that the poliovirus was identified in an 18-month-old girl in UC Ghora, Bakakhel.
In 2022, Pakistan reported 20 cases of poliovirus across the country. The nation had come close to eradicating the disease in 2021, when only one case was reported.
Third polio case of the year 2023 was confirmed in #KhyberPakhtunkhwa’s (KP) Bannu district on Wednesday as #Pakistan struggling to get rid of the crippling disease. pic.twitter.com/aEUxSGVYCJ
— Sabha Alam (@Alam_Sabha) October 4, 2023
On Monday, the Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar launched a five-day anti-polio vaccination campaign targeting approximately 44 million children nationwide. He announced that 350,000 polio workers would participate in the drive to administer the anti-polio vaccine to children aged 0-5.
Pakistan had registered two polio cases earlier in January, which was a setback to the goal of eliminating this disease that affects the nervous system and can lead to severe paralysis in children.
It’s worth noting that Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries globally where polio remains a threat to the health and well-being of children.
