Pakistan's capital reports first poliovirus case in last 16 years, 17 cases reported so far this year

Pakistani health authorities confirmed the nation’s first polio case in Islamabad in over 16 years, signaling a significant blow to the country’s efforts to eliminate the virus.
The wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) was detected in a young child living in Union Council Rural 4 of Islamabad, according to the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio at the National Institute of Health.This marks the 17^th case of polio in Pakistan this year alone, underscoring the resurgence of a virus that the nation had been on the verge of eradicating.
Ayesha Raza Farooq, the Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication, said, “It is incredibly heartbreaking that another Pakistani child has been affected by a disease that has no cure but is entirely preventable with the help of an easily accessible vaccine,” she said.
Farooq highlighted the urgency of the situation, calling for renewed efforts to protect the country’s children from this preventable but devastating disease.
In response to the crisis, the Polio Programme has announced a nationwide vaccination campaign set to begin next week. Starting on September 9, vaccination teams will visit households across 115 districts to immunize over 33 million children under the age of five.
Muhammad Anwarul Haq, Coordinator of the National Emergency Operations Centre for Polio Eradication, echoed this sentiment, emphasising the targeted nature of the upcoming campaign. “We are concentrating our efforts particularly in districts where the virus has been detected, as the threat of continued transmission remains high,” he explained. Haq called upon parents to actively cooperate with health workers during the door-to-door campaign, noting that every missed child could potentially lead to a new outbreak.
The country reported only one polio case in 2021. However, 2024 has seen a troubling spike in infections, with 12 cases reported in Balochistan, three in Sindh, and now, one each in Punjab and Islamabad.