• The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health Islamabad has confirmed the detection of 48th Wild Poliovirus Type-1 (WPV1) case in Pakistan.
  • On 8 November 2024, the lab confirmed the detection of WPV1 in a male child from DI Khan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. DI Khan is among the polio-endemic districts in southern KP.
  • This is the third polio case from DI Khan and 48th case from Pakistan at large this year. So far, 23 cases have been reported from Balochistan, 13from Sindh, ten from KP and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
  • Genetic sequencing of the samples collected from the child is under process.
  • The oral polio vaccine is essential to keep children protected from disability from a polio infection. The Polio Programme brings the oral polio vaccine to citizens’ doorsteps multiple times a year, while the Expanded Programme for Immunization provides vaccines against 12 childhood diseases at your nearest health centers free of charge.
  • We urge parents across the country to ensure multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine for all children under five in their care and ensure that their routine vaccination doses are also complete.