ISLAMABAD: The total number of poliovirus cases in Pakistan climbed 23 after a 10-month-old baby girl in district Kohat of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was diagnosed with the virus.

The infant from Tehsil Darra Adamkhel, which marked KP’s second polio case this year, was left paralysed on September 12 after contracting the wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1).

This second case in the country’s northwestern province comes days after it confirmed its first polio case in the Mohmand district on September 6.

Earlier, the province had remained polio-free following the serious and non-stop efforts of the provincial government, polio workers and national and international organisations working together towards the polio eradication.

These efforts were particularly observed in KP’s southern districts, including Kohat, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Karak, Tank, Dera Ismail Khan, North Waziristan, South Waziristan, Upper and Lower Waziristan, Kurram tribal district, and Orakzai district.

The latest polio case in KP was reported a day after authorities on Wednesday confirmed that a 30-month-old boy from Pishin, Balochistan, had been struck by the poliovirus, marking the province’s 15th case.

So far, Balochistan remains the epicenter of the outbreak with 15 confirmed cases, while Sindh has reported four. Meanwhile, Punjab and Islamabad have each recorded one case, while KP has reported its second.

Such rapid growth in the number of cases has resulted in increased scrutiny of the country’s polio eradication efforts.

According to officials from the Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI), the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health confirmed the presence of WPV1 in the latest case from Kohat.

The virus’s continued circulation has prompted health officials to intensify efforts to close immunity gaps in vulnerable areas.

The confirmation of the latest polio case comes a day after Muhammad Anwarul Haq, the national coordinator for the Polio Emergency Operations Centre, emphasised the urgency of addressing gaps in efforts to fight this disease.

“Every missed vaccination is an opportunity for the virus to win,” he warned.

Haq called for collective action from both the government and the public, highlighting that the solution lies in ensuring timely and repeated vaccinations for all children.

Pakistan’s polio eradication programme organised an anti-polio campaign in 115 districts of the country this month in which 33 million children under the age of five years were given polio vaccinations.

However, the programme continues to face significant challenges, particularly in areas where insecurity, misinformation, and parental refusals hinder vaccination campaigns.

Despite these obstacles, authorities have updated the National Polio Eradication Emergency Operations Plan and have planned two major door-to-door vaccination campaigns later this year in an attempt to halt the spread of the virus.

Additionally, Ayesha Raza Farooq, the prime minister’s focal person for polio eradication, voiced frustration at the lack of progress, emphasising the pivotal role parents play in halting the spread of virus.

“Each new case is a heartbreaking reminder that we are failing our children,” she stated. “The solution is simple: timely and repeated vaccination.”

The polio emergency remains a national priority, with health officials urging communities to cooperate and support vaccination efforts to protect the country’s children from the crippling disease.