Poliovirus continues to spread in Pakistan with the total number of cases now reaching 40 this year.
The latest case of the wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) was reported from Dara Adam Khel tehsil in District Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where a 30-month-old toddler was diagnosed with the disease, media reported on Thursday citing the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad.
This is the second poliovirus case, confirmed by the lab on Wednesday October 23, from KP’s Kohat district and raises alarm regarding the ongoing spread of the disease.
Genetic sequencing of the samples collected from the child is currently underway to further understand the spread and lineage of the virus.
So far in 2024, Pakistan has reported 40 polio cases, with Balochistan accounting for half of these. Sindh follows with 12 cases, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with six and Punjab and Islamabad with one case each.
The surge in cases from Kohat is particularly concerning, as four environmental samples from the district have also tested positive for WPV1 this year.
