Polio Cases Surge in Pakistan: An Ongoing Challenge

Polio cases in Pakistan have climbed to 59 this year with recent detections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The country, alongside Afghanistan, remains one of the last strongholds of the disease. Efforts to eradicate polio face challenges from persistent violence against healthcare workers.

The number of polio cases in Pakistan has climbed to 59 this year, following the detection of three new cases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, authorities announced on Tuesday.

The National Institute of Health (NIH) confirmed that the latest occurrences were identified in Dera Ismail Khan, Karachi, and Kashmore, involving wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1), the only remaining poliovirus strain with the potential to cause paralysis.

While Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan continue to battle this disease, polio eradication efforts are often hampered by violence, with healthcare workers facing threats and attacks from groups opposing vaccination drives.

(With inputs from agencies.)