ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has confirmed another case of poliovirus in its northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, health authorities said on Wednesday, identifying it as the last case of 2024, as it was detected last month, bringing the nationwide tally for the year to 69.

Polio is a paralyzing disease with no cure. Multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and completion of the routine vaccination schedule for all children under the age of five are essential to provide high immunity against the disease.

The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH) Islamabad confirmed the wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) case in KP’s Tank district, marking the fifth case reported from the district in 2024.

“On Jan. 7, the lab confirmed a case from Tank,” the health ministry said in a statement. “Pakistan is responding to the resurgence of WPV1 [in 2024] with 69 cases reported so far.”

It said in a separate message it was counting the new case along with the ones that emerged last year since “it was isolated/detected in 2024 as per the control room.”

The Pakistan Polio Program organizes several mass vaccination campaigns annually, delivering the vaccine directly to people’s doorsteps.

On Jan. 6, Pakistan concluded a week-long anti-polio drive in southwestern Balochistan, which reported the highest tally of 27 cases last year.

The health ministry said the first nationwide polio campaign of this year is scheduled to take place from Feb. 3-9, urging the parents to ensure the safety of their children by welcoming the vaccinators.

Pakistan’s polio program began in 1994 but efforts to eradicate the virus have since been undermined by vaccine misinformation and opposition from some religious hard-liners, who say immunization is a foreign ploy to sterilize Muslim children or a cover for Western spies.

Militant groups also frequently attack and kill members of polio vaccination teams.

In the early 1990s, the country reported around 20,000 cases annually, but in 2018, the number dropped to eight cases. Six cases were reported in 2023 and only one in 2021.

ISLAMABAD: Iraqi Ambassador to Pakistan Hamid Abbas Lafta emphasized the need for joint security efforts to combat militancy during a ceremony marking the 104th anniversary of his country’s national army, according to Pakistan’s military media wing on Wednesday.
Pakistan and Iraq have strengthened ties in recent years through defense cooperation, with Islamabad providing training to Iraqi security forces. In 2014, Iraq procured Super Mushak trainer aircraft from Pakistan to bolster defense relations between the two Muslim-majority nations.
Lafta attended the ceremony to mark the anniversary of the Iraqi army as the chief guest at the National Counter Terrorism Center in Pabbi, Sarai Alamgir, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
“The Iraqi ambassador stressed the importance of joint security and counter-terrorism efforts between Iraq and Pakistan,” it said in a statement.
During his speech, Lafta praised the sacrifices made by the Iraqi army in the fight against militancy and emphasized the need to strengthen cooperation between Pakistan and Iraq.
He highlighted the importance of security collaboration between the two countries and commended their joint efforts in combating militancy. Lafta called for further cooperation to benefit the people of both nations, expressing his commitment to forge a “united front” in the fight against extremism.
The Iraqi envoy also pledged to work with Pakistan for regional peace and to strengthen the friendship between the two countries.
Last year in August, Pakistan’s Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, met Iraq’s Secretary of Defense, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Dawood Salman, to discuss enhancing defense and security cooperation between the two states.
A few months before, in May, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif met Lafta, seeking greater cooperation in all fields of mutual interest, particularly in defense.