Pakistan reports another polio case as tally jumps to 65 this year

KARACHI, Pakistan

Pakistan reported a new polio case on Tuesday, bringing the tally for the current year to 65, health authorities said.

The latest case was reported in the Qila Abdullah district of southwestern Balochistan province, which shares a border with Afghanistan, the only second country where the crippling disease is endemic, the National Institutes of Health said.

This was the seventh polio case reported from the remote district this year.

The majority of this year's polio cases, 27, have been reported from Balochistan, with 18 each from northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and southern Sindh provinces and one each from northeastern Punjab province and the capital, Islamabad.

Pakistan launched its final anti-polio campaign of the year last week, in yet another effort to eradicate the crippling disease from the country.

The over 240 million South Asian nation continues to be subject to travel restrictions linked to polio imposed by the WHO. Since 2014, the WHO has required all travelers from Pakistan to present a valid polio vaccination certificate before departing the country.

Polio vaccination campaigns have been hampered, particularly in the border regions of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, when militant groups attacked staff administering inoculations as well as police officers assisting in the security of vaccinating teams.

These groups frequently perceive the campaigns as part of a larger anti-Muslim and Western conspiracy, and many vaccinators, particularly women, have received death threats.

Local media reports indicate that approximately 150 people associated with the polio drive have been killed across Pakistan since 2012.