A six-year-old from Chakwal was diagnosed with poliovirus case just a day after two cases emerged in the country, taking the total number to 12.
The young boy is the first instance from Punjab province; according to local media, which quoted a Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) official, the boy has been paralyzed by the Wild Poliovirus 1.
According to the report, at least nine instances have been reported from Balochistan thus far, while two have been found in Sindh. The official further stated that the case is currently undergoing genetic sequencing.
The two more cases were from the Balochistani areas of Jhal Magsi and Killa Abdullah, and they were already verified to have been discovered on Saturday by national PEI officials.
“A 75-month-old male child from District Chakwal in Punjab province provided a stool samples, and the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH) Islamabad verified the discovery of Type-1 Wild Poliovirus (WPV1). The disability of the infant began on July 16, 2024,” the PEI official said.
The instances from union councils Maizai in Killa Abdullah and Patri in Jhal Magsi were verified by the laboratory. The virus has paralyzed two children: a 1.5-year-old from Killa Abdullah and a 3-year-old from Jhal Magsi.
The viral strain associated with Usta Muhammad is connected to the Jhal Magsi case, which first displayed symptoms on July 5. According to representatives of Pakistan’s Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI), the Killa Abdullah case, which has been symptomatic since June 10, is undergoing genetic analysis.
According to epidemiologists, there have been several obstacles to Pakistan’s polio campaign, such as local demonstrations, security concerns, and vaccination reluctance. These elements hampered immunization efforts, especially in Balochistan, where six areas account for nine of the cases this year.
However, WPV1 was discovered once more in the environmental samples of four previously affected districts, including Islamabad, according to authorities. This brings the total number of polio-affected districts for 2024 to 58.
