ISLAMABAD: In an alarming development, the sixth polio case of 2024 has been identified in Pakistan in Qilla Abdullah district of Balochistan.
Confirming the case, the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio at the National Institute of Health (NIH) says that wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) was detected in stool samples from a 1.5-year-old child in Union Council Gulistan 2 of Qilla Abdullah.
NIH lab’s report says the child developed symptoms of paralysis in his leg on June 3. Genetic sequencing of the virus isolated from the samples revealed it is linked to the YB3A genetic cluster of WPV1, found in all positive cases and environmental samples this year, it adds.
"This is the fifth case from Balochistan this year," stated Dr. Malik Mukhtar Ahmed Bharath, Coordinator to the Prime Minister on National Health Services. "The government is working on improving routine vaccination rates and health systems in the province, but we cannot defeat this disease alone. The support of parents and communities is critical."
Dr. Bharath highlighted that poliovirus has been detected in over 40 districts of the country this year, urging parents and caregivers to remain vigilant and ensure all children under the age of five receive multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine.
This is the second polio case reported from Qilla Abdullah this year, while five of the six cases reported in 2024 are from Balochistan, he adds.
Muhammad Anwarul Haq, Coordinator of the National Emergency Operations Centre for Polio Eradication, says the poliovirus moves with people, and repeated vaccination is the most effective way to protect children from this disease.