The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio -Depletion at the National Institute of Health has confirmed a polio case from District Thatta, Sindh, which marks the fourth such case on the province and the sixth case in Pakistan for the year 2025, according to Pakistan Polio Permit Promice -Website.
This comes as part of a growing concern about the persistence of polio in certain regions of the country. Last year, 74 cases of polio were reported in Pakistan, where the majority came from Balochistan (27 cases) and Sindh (23 cases). Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa reported 22 cases, while Punjab and Islamabad reported a case each.
Polio remains a paralyzing disease that causes paralysis and has no cure. Vaccination, especially for children under five, is the most effective way to prevent the spread of the virus.
The health authorities emphasize the importance of ending the full vaccination plan to ensure high immunity in children, especially in regions such as Sindh, where cases have been more frequent.
The Polio program has actively rolled up vaccination campaigns over Pakistan, with the first nationwide polio campaign in 2025, reaching over 45 million children earlier this month.
In addition, a targeted campaign in the Quetta Division and Karachi took place from 20 to 28 February 2025, with about 900,000 children receiving both injectable and oral polio vaccines for an additional increase in immunity.
These endeavors are part of the large collection initiative implemented by the expanded program on immunization to immunize children against 12 preventable childhood diseases.
In an attempt to tackle the potential cross -border transmission, a targeted vaccination activity was carried out in 104 union councils near Afghanistan or those hosting Afghan refugee populations. Over 600,000 children were vaccinated in this high -risk area.
The polio program encourages parents to ensure that their children are vaccinated against polio, emphasizes that any vaccination option counts in the fight to eradicate the virus and prevent further cases of paralysis.
Previously, Saudi Arabia confirmed its $ 500 million commitment to the global polio expulsion initiative (GPEI), which aimed to eradicate wild polio and controlling vaccine-derived polio outbreaks in Pakistan and Afghanistan, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Monday.
