New polio case reported in Karachi, toll reaches 70 in 2024

Karachi: Officials have confirmed that another case of poliovirus has emerged, taking the total number of cases from last year to 70.

According to a report, the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH) has confirmed the presence of Wild Polio Virus Type One (WPV1) in a child from Karachi’s East District.

A lab official said that the case has been counted in last year’s tally because the sample was collected in 2024.

The number of polio cases reported in Karachi’s East District has now reached two in 2024.

70 cases of WPV1 have been reported in the country in the year 2024.

27 are from Balochistan, 21 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 20 from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.

Due to the increasing number of cases, the government has intensified efforts to control the spread of the virus.

This year's first nationwide vaccination campaign is scheduled for February 3 to 9.