Pakistan reports 3 polio cases raising 2024 tally to 59

ISLAMABAD, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) — Pakistan confirmed three more polio cases increasing the total number of cases in the country in 2024 to 59, the National Institute of Health (NIH) said late Monday night.
According to a statement, the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the NIH verified the detection of the Wild Poliovirus Type 1 (WPV1) in three children in different areas of the country.
The NIH added that one case was reported from northwest Dera Ismail Khan district and the other two cases were confirmed in southern port city of Karachi and southern district of Kashmore, respectively.
Pakistan is responding to an intense resurgence of WPV1 by utilizing its all-out efforts, said the NIH, adding that of the confirmed cases, 26 are from southwest Balochistan province, 16 from northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, 15 from southern Sindh province, and one each from eastern Punjab province and the country’s capital Islamabad.
The NIH urged masses to ensure the oral polio vaccine for their children under the age of five during every anti-polio campaign.
“The next mass vaccination is planned for mid-December to reach more than 44 million children with the vaccine,” said the NIH, adding that it is crucial for parents to ensure vaccination for all their children under the age of five to keep them protected, considering the intense polio outbreak. ■