Pakistan Faces Alarming Polio Resurgence

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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's struggle against polio deepens as health authorities confirmed the 56th case of the year, reported from Dera Ismail Khan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The National Institute of Health’s Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication verified that the child was infected with Wild Poliovirus Type 1 (WPV1). This marks the seventh case from Dera Ismail Khan, one of the most affected districts in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Nationwide, Balochistan has recorded the highest number of cases with 26, followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 15, Sindh with 13, and one case each from Punjab and Islamabad. Health officials have raised concerns about access challenges to vulnerable communities in high-risk areas, which have hampered routine immunization programs. Southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remains a focal point for poliovirus transmission due to ongoing gaps in healthcare delivery. Efforts to combat the virus are intensifying as Pakistan seeks to eliminate polio, a disease that continues to endanger the lives of children in the region.