First Polio Case in Islamabad in 16 Years: Efforts to Vaccinate 33 Million Children

Pakistan has reported its first polio case in Islamabad in 16 years, bringing the total number of cases this year to 17, according to health officials. This resurgence comes as the country grapples with ongoing efforts to eradicate the disease, despite continued detection of wild poliovirus (WPV1) in environmental samples.

The new case has been detected in Islamabad’s Union Council Rural 4, near the Sangjani Toll Plaza, as confirmed by the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio at the National Institute of Health. The affected individual, an eight-year-old boy, marks the first polio case in the city since 2008.

A senior lab official stated that environmental samples from the federal capital and Rawalpindi district have been testing positive for WPV1 since June, highlighting the ‘persistent threat of polio to children’s well-being.’

Ayesha Raza Farooq, the Prime Minister’s focal person for polio eradication, described the case as ‘incredibly heartbreaking.’ She mentioned that, in response to the virus outbreak, the polio programme has conducted ‘in-depth consultative sessions with the provinces and districts’ to enhance its eradication efforts.

Muhammad Anwarul Haq, the coordinator of the National Emergency Operations Centre for Polio Eradication, stated that the government is ‘ramping up efforts’ to ensure every child receives polio vaccines, including those in Islamabad. The government has scheduled a new large-scale vaccination campaign across 115 districts from September 9 to 13.

Farooq stated that teams will conduct house-to-house visits in 115 districts to administer vaccines to over 33 million children under five. The campaign will also include all 36 districts of Balochistan, which has seen 12 polio cases since February.