Pakistan capital reports first polio case in 16 years

ISLAMABAD (AA) – Pakistan’s capital Islamabad has reported its first poliovirus case in 16 years, taking the tally to 17 across the country this year.

The victim is an eight-year-old boy in Islamabad’s Union Council Rural 4, the Pakistan Polio Eradication Program said in a statement.

“This is the first human case reported from Islamabad in 16 years, while environmental samples from the federal capital and neighboring Rawalpindi district have been positive for WPV1 since June, underscoring the persistent threat of polio to children’s well-being,” it said.

The South Asian country has confirmed 17 cases this year, including 12 from the southwestern Balochistan province. Three were reported in the southern Sindh province, two in Punjab including Islamabad.

In 2023, Pakistan reported six cases, while in 2022 the figure was 20.

The Health Ministry has decided to launch a campaign from September 9-13 to vaccinate 33 million children under the age of five in 115 district across the country.

“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,” said Ayesha Raza Farooq, prime minister’s focal person for polio eradication.

Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by poliovirus mainly affecting children under the age of five. It invades the nervous system and can cause paralysis or even death.

Anti-polio campaigns in Pakistan are also marred by violence due to the belief that the vaccines produced in the West contain harmful elements that may lead to infertility. Militants often target polio teams and police assigned to protect them.