[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text dp_text_size=”size-4″]The third polio case of 2024 has been reported in Killa Abdullah district, Balochistan, Pakistan.
According to the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio at the National Institute of Health, wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) was found in stool samples from a child in Darozai union council who developed paralysis symptoms on April 20. Genetic sequencing of the virus is currently underway.
Read more: Pakistan Records First Polio Case In 2024
“It is incredibly tragic that another child has been affected by polio this year in Balochistan,” said Dr. Malik Mukhtar Ahmed Bharath, Coordinator to the Prime Minister on National Health Services. He noted that polio not only impacts the affected child but also has significant repercussions for the entire family.
“The government is bringing the polio vaccine to our citizens’ doorsteps through multiple vaccination rounds,” he emphasized. “I urge families to understand the risk this disease poses to children and ensure they vaccinate all their children under five when the polio worker visits.”
Dr. Shahzad Baig, Coordinator of the National Emergency Operations Centre for Polio Eradication, stated that a detailed investigation will be launched immediately to identify the virus origins, locate populations that may have missed vaccination, and implement corrective measures to contain its spread.
“We have already conducted four polio vaccination campaigns this year, including two nationwide campaigns to boost children’s immunity, and we will conduct another campaign in June,” he added.
This is the third polio case in Balochistan this year and the first in Killa Abdullah in three years. Last year, six polio cases were reported in the country: four from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and two from Karachi.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
