Pakistan reported two new cases of poliovirus, bringing this year’s total to eight, according to the National Institute of Health (NIH).
The country had reported its sixth polio case on Tuesday. While the disease has been eradicated in developed nations, it continues to persist in parts of India, Nigeria, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
The two new cases were reported from Balochistan province and Karachi city. The NIH confirmed the detection of Type-1 Wild Poliovirus (WPV1) in stool specimens from two children, one from the Killa Abdullah district and the other from the Karachi Keamari district.
In Killa Abdullah, a 24-month-old boy contracted polio and suffered paralysis on May 22. This marks the third polio case from Killa Abdullah and the sixth overall this year from Balochistan.
In Karachi, a 36-month-old girl contracted the disease and suffered paralysis on June 3. This is the first polio case from the Karachi Keamari district and the second from Sindh province.
Pakistan’s efforts to eradicate polio face significant challenges, including attacks by militant groups on polio workers. Many Pakistanis, particularly in conservative tribal areas, view the polio vaccination campaign as a Western plot to sterilize the population.
In 2012, the local Taliban imposed a ban on immunization against polio in some tribal districts. Consequently, dozens of polio workers have been killed in the country while performing their duties.
