ISLAMABAD – The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH) Wednesday confirmed the detection of the 43rd Wild Poliovirus Type-1 (WPV1) case in Pakistan.
The lab confirmed detection of Type-1 Wild Poliovirus in a child from Chagai District of Balochistan. This is the first polio case from Chagai and the 43rd case from Pakistan at large this year. So far, 22 cases have been reported from Balochistan, 12 from Sindh, seven from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad. Genetic sequencing of the samples collected from the child is underway.
A nationwide polio vaccination campaign is currently ongoing in the country from 28 October to 3 November, aiming to vaccinate over 45 million children under the age of five against polio.
It is critical for parents to open their door to vaccinators during this nationwide polio vaccination campaign and ensure that all children receive two drops of the oral polio vaccine (OPV) to keep them protected from the devastating effects of polio.
