Islamabad, Dec 8 (Reporter) Pakistan’s total tally of reported poliovirus cases currently stands at 59 in 2024, according to the findings of the country’s Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH). This increase was marked by confirmation of the presence of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in environmental samples in 14 districts previously designated as high-risk areas. According to a lab official, sewage samples from districts in regions of Balochistan and Punjab which include Dera Bugti, Quetta, Nasirabad, Usta Muhammad, Bajaur, Tank, Multan, Bahawalpur, Okara, Rahim Yar Khan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Gujranwala, Gujrat and Islamabad, have all tested positive for WPV1. “This year, 59 polio cases have been reported. The resurgence of the poliovirus has placed children nationwide at risk of the debilitating disease,” the official said as per Dawn. The official went on to say that while the virus remains incurable, it can be entirely prevented through multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine, which the Polio Programme delivers to children at their doorsteps several times a year. The unnamed official further said “Similarly, routine vaccination against 12 childhood preventable diseases, provided free of charge by the Expanded Programme for Immunisation, gives additional immunity boost to children to be able to fight off infections like polio.” Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only two countries which are still battling polio, and despite massive government initiatives which include vaccination drives in both cities and villages, it remains a lingering problem with an increasing number of samples being found in sewage and other environmental material. He added that the country’s Polio Programme was launching the sub-national polio vaccination campaign on Dec 16 to reach more than 44.7 million children under five with the vaccine and keep them protected from paralytic polio. “It is critical for parents and caregivers to ensure that their children under the age of five receive two drops of the oral polio vaccine whenever a vaccinator knocks on their door to protect children against polio’s paralysing effects,” he said. Cases of polio have risen this year in Pakistan, with Balochistan and Punjab reporting the majority of cases, mostly due to both a lack of manpower to conduct drives, as well as underreporting of cases due to social stigma and absence of good medical infrastructure...////...