- Wild poliovirus type 1 detected in stool samples of girls at Darozai UC.
- Two earlier cases of polio were also reported from the districts of Balochistan.
- Genetic sequencing of the isolated virus is underway, NIH officials say.
ISLAMABAD: The third polio case of the year was reported in Killa Abdullah district of Balochistan, where a 12-year-old girl was found infected with wild poliovirus 1 (WPV1), officials said on Saturday.
According to the Regional Polio Reference Laboratory of the National Institute of Health, WPV1 was detected in stool samples collected from a 144-month-old child in Darozai union council of Killa Abdullah, who developed symptoms of paralysis on April 20. Genetic sequencing of the isolated virus is underway.
It is the third case of polio in 2024 in Pakistan as the previous two cases were also reported in different districts of Balochistan, officials said.
“It is incredibly tragic that another child has been affected by polio this year in Balochistan,” said Dr. Malik Mukhtar Ahmed Bharath, Coordinator of the Prime Minister's National Health Services, adding that polio is a terrible disease that changes not only the life of the child but also of the entire family.
“The government is bringing the polio vaccine to the doorsteps of citizens in multiple rounds of polio vaccination. “I urge families to understand the risk this disease poses to children and make sure they vaccinate all their children under the age of five when the polio worker arrives at their homes.”
Dr. Shahzad Baig, coordinator of the National Emergency Operations Center for Polio Eradication, said a detailed investigation of the case will be launched immediately to identify the origins of the virus, find populations that may have skipped vaccination and take action. corrective measures to contain its spread.
“We have already carried out four polio vaccination campaigns this year, including two nationwide campaigns to boost immunity in children, and we will carry out another campaign in June,” he added.
This is the third case of polio in Balochistan this year and the first reported in Killa Abdullah after three years.
Last year, six cases of polio were reported in the country, four in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and two in Karachi.
