28 Wild Polio Patients in Pakistan

While the World Health Organization continues alerting international travelers to ongoing polio risks, two countries are the key focus. As of October 5, 2024, polio remains endemic in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Unfortunately, two additional children were paralyzed by wild poliovirus type 1 in Pakistan, underscoring the expanding public health threat.

According to the Regional Reference Laboratory at the National Institute of Health, a female child from the Zhob district of Balochistan and a male child from the Tank district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been affected,

This update indicates the total number of polio cases in 2024 is now 28. 

The Coordinator of the National Emergency Operations Center for Polio Eradication, Mr. Muhammad Anwarul Haq, stated that consistent polio campaign implementation in Balochistan and southern KP has been challenging for the Programme since last year due to factors such as lack of access to vulnerable children, security issues, vaccine hesitancy, and community boycotts. 

“Access challenges leave a cohort of unvaccinated children who have low immunity to fight off a polio infection. The Polio Programme is working closely with both provincial governments to increase vaccination coverage rates, build community trust, and provide integrated health service delivery for better health outcomes,” he said in a press release on October 2, 2024.

Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by the poliovirus, mainly affecting children under five. It invades the nervous system and can cause paralysis or even death. While there is no cure for polio, vaccination is the most effective way to protect children from this crippling disease, says the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI).

The U.S. CDC recently published a Travel Health Advisory that identified 37 destinations that have circulating poliovirus.

Before any international travel, make sure you are up to date on your polio vaccines, says the CDC. Adults who previously completed the routine polio vaccine series may receive a single, lifetime booster dose of the IPV polio vaccine.

Polio vaccination services are offered at travel vaccine clinics and pharmacies in the U.S.