Four new Polio cases highlight Pakistan’s ongoing struggle to eradicate the endemic

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s battle against polio faces another setback as four new cases of wild poliovirus have been reported from different parts of the country. Two cases were reported from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) including 8-months old girl in Dera Ismail Khan, and one each from Zhob and Jaffarabad in Balochistan. The year’s tally now stands at 56, underscoring a critical public health crisis that threatens the nation’s vulnerable children.
This tragic development follows recent high-level discussions between the Global Polio Eradication Initiative delegation and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif aimed at addressing the escalating outbreak.
A crisis of immunity and access
Polio remains endemic in Pakistan, with KP and Balochistan emerging as hotspots. Dera Ismail Khan, which has now reported six cases this year, continues to be one of seven high-risk districts in southern KP. Access to children in these regions has been hindered by inadequate routine immunisation coverage and socio-political challenges.
Similarly, Zhob and Jaffarabad in Balochistan, with three and two cases respectively, exemplify the persistence of the virus in epidemiologically significant areas. These districts are part of a central corridor linked to major reservoirs in the Quetta block and Karachi, where polio continues to find opportunities to spread.
The nationwide breakdown reveals a worrying trend: 26 cases have surfaced in Balochistan, 14 in KP, 13 in Sindh, and one each in Punjab and Islamabad. This geographic spread underscores gaps in immunisation and the urgent need to close these immunity gaps, particularly among children under five.
Voices from the field
“This outbreak highlights the severe immunity gap among children in these areas,” a lab official noted. “The recurring detection of the virus in core reservoirs signals that the virus is far from under control. Unless access to vulnerable children improves, these numbers will continue to rise.”
Parents in affected districts describe a mix of fear and frustration. “We trust the government to protect our children, but vaccines don’t always reach us,” shared a resident of Zhob. For others, misinformation and logistical hurdles make immunisation campaigns a challenge.
A renewed call to action
The resurgence of polio in Pakistan serves as a grim reminder of the fragile progress in eradicating this disease. Experts stress that combating polio will require not only robust immunisation campaigns but also addressing misinformation, improving healthcare infrastructure, and securing community cooperation.
The global health community, led by initiatives like GPEI, continues to partner with Pakistan’s government to fight polio. But as cases climb, time is running out to protect the nation’s children from paralysis and other lifelong consequences of this preventable disease.