- Web Desk
- 6 Hours ago
Pakistan reports fifth polio case of the year
- Web Desk
- Jun 09, 2024
QUETTA: A toddler from Quetta tested positive for wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) on Saturday, becoming the fifth polio case reported in Pakistan this year.
The child’s diagnosis followed his experience of paralysis in one leg, ultimately leading to his passing in Karachi.
Read more: Pakistan’s Polio Eradication Programme chief resigns from his post
The National Institute of Health analysed samples and confirmed the presence of WPV1 in the boy and his sibling. A detailed investigation is now underway to determine the virus’s origins.
Most of this year’s polio cases in Pakistan have emerged from Balochistan. The local government states it has intensified efforts to contain the virus and prevent its spread.
An anti-polio campaign is currently underway across 14 districts of Balochistan, including Quetta.
Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only two countries in entire world where polio has yet to be eradicated.
Previously, the country discovered its fourth poliovirus case when a 2-year-old boy from the Bharkan union council in Sindh’s Shikarpur district tested positive for the virus.
The child displayed symptoms of paralysis on May 21, with subsequent stool sample testing confirming the presence of the virus.
Similarly, Pakistan reported six cases last year, primarily originating from the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and Karachi.