Pakistan’s anti-polio program reported three new cases of the virus, raising the nationwide total to 21 this year. One of the cases, detected in the Mohmand tribal district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, involves a 9-month-old girl who had received insufficient vaccinations.
Authorities are alarmed by the rise in cases, with Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication, Ayesha Raza Farooq, urging parents to vaccinate their children. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has launched an inquiry into the district’s poor vaccination campaign and suspended several officials.
The government plans two large-scale immunization campaigns before the year ends, aimed at closing immunity gaps and halting the spread of the virus. National Coordinator Anwarul Haq emphasized the importance of ensuring all children receive vaccinations to eradicate the virus.
