Pakistan reports confirmed 50th polio case

Islamabad [Pakistan], November 19 (ANI): Pakistan's National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) reported another polio case, bringing the total number of cases this year to 50, ARY News reported on Tuesday.
According to NEOC, the National Reference Lab identified the latest case involving a 20-month-old girl from Tank district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, ARY News reported.
Tests confirmed the presence of Wild Poliovirus Type 1 (WPV1). This is the second polio case reported from Tank this year, with a genetic link established to a case from July in the same district, as per ARY News.
Balochistan province remains the hardest hit, with 24 cases being reported this year, followed by Sindh with 13, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 11, and Punjab and Islamabad each recording one case.
Authorities continue to emphasize the importance of polio vaccination campaigns to curb the spread of the virus, particularly in high-risk areas, as per ARY News.
The spike in polio cases in the country has sparked global concerns, where international organisations called Pakistan to implement emergency measures to stop the spread of virus.
Pakistan reported the 49th case on November 15, Geo News reported, quoting The News.
The case, detected in Jaffarabad, Balochistan, marked the district's first confirmed polio infection, underscoring the virus's ongoing spread across the country, health authorities announced on November 14, as per Geo News.
Genetic sequencing of the virus sample, conducted by the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Islamabad, has traced the virus to a WPV1 strain previously identified in Pishin, Balochistan, in April, Geo News reported.
This connection highlights active transmission within the province, which remains the hardest-hit area, with 24 cases reported to date.
Pakistan remains one of only two countries where wild poliovirus transmission has not yet been eradicated. The ongoing spread is attributed to challenges such as insecurity, misinformation, and community resistance, which complicate vaccination campaigns.
The illness invades the nervous system and causes paralysis or even death. While there is no cure for polio, officials stress that immunisation is the most effective defence against this virus. (ANI)