Islamabad, Dec 31 (IANS): A seven-day anti-polio vaccination drive began in Pakistan's southwest Balochistan province, the worst-hit province by the crippling disease with 27 reported cases in 2024.

According to the provincial Emergency Operation Centre (EOC), more than 11,600 teams will participate in the campaign to administer anti-polio drops to over 2.6 million children under five.

EOC officials noted that security arrangements have been made to protect the polio teams during the campaign.

Balochistan EOC Coordinator Inamul Haq has urged parents, media, and citizens to play their role in ensuring the success of the anti-polio drive.

The drive includes door-to-door vaccinations and establishing fixed centers at public locations, aiming to ensure no child is left unvaccinated, Xinhua news agency reported.

Pakistan, along with Afghanistan, remains one of the last two polio-endemic countries in the world. The country has experienced a concerning surge in poliovirus cases, with 68 instances of the crippling disease reported in 2024.

On December 27, Pakistan reported two more polio cases, bringing the total number of cases in the country for the year to 67, according to the National Institute of Health (NIH).

The two cases were confirmed in the northwest district of Tank and the southern district of Kashmore, the NIH reported.

The NIH noted that these were the fourth polio case from Tank and the second case from Kashmore in 2024.

The data revealed that, out of the total cases, 27 were reported from the southwest Balochistan province, 19 from the northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, 19 from the southern Sindh province, and one each from the eastern Punjab province and the capital Islamabad.

The most recent large-scale vaccination campaign took place earlier in December across 143 districts, targeting over 44 million children under the age of five. The second phase of the campaign was scheduled for December 30.

On December 3, Pakistan had confirmed three additional polio cases, bringing the total number of cases in 2024 to 59.

According to a statement, the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the NIH had confirmed the detection of Wild Poliovirus Type 1 (WPV1) in three children from different regions of the country.

The NIH reported that one case had been identified in Dera Ismail Khan district, while the other two cases were confirmed in the southern port city of Karachi and the southern district of Kashmore, respectively.

The Pakistan Polio Programme had conducted multiple mass vaccination campaigns throughout 2024.