Pakistan’s ongoing battle against polio faced another hurdle as a child in Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, became paralyzed due to the virus. This case marks the 48th instance of Wild Poliovirus Type-1 (WPV1) reported in the country this year.
The confirmation came from the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health in Islamabad on Saturday, highlighting a significant issue in a region that has been battling high rates of polio transmission.
Among the provinces, Balochistan has the highest number of cases, totaling 23, followed by Sindh with 13, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 10, and isolated instances in Punjab and Islamabad. Currently, genetic testing of samples from the affected child is being conducted to identify how the virus is spreading and to enhance targeted vaccination efforts.