Badin's first polio case surfaces, provincial toll rises to 24

It is the third case in Sindh outside its provincial capital following Sanghar and Dadu

KARACHI: A new polio case has surfaced in Badin, raising the total number of cases in Sindh to 24, creating fear among health workers that the virus is spreading in different areas of the province.

The latest victim of the crippling disease was identified as eight-month-old Mohammad Khan son of Haji Mohammad Ayoub, a resident of village Haji Jan Muhammad Laghari, Union Council Ghulam Shah Laghari near Matli taluka.

It is the third case in Sindh outside Karachi following Sanghar and Dadu. The health officials believe the virus is spreading because of travelling to the affected areas where the virus exists.

“Our teams will take the history of the affected child of where the family has visited in last eight months,” an official of the health department said while commenting on the recent case. The official added that history of visiting guests to the Laghari family will also help determine the source of the virus.

The health officials, who always urge families to administrate polio drops to children smaller than five years of age, this time doubted whether the vaccination teams had managed to call on the family or not. “We’ll check whether the teams have actually visited the house or we have been shared only the number of doses,” the official explained.

Another official informed The Express Tribune that the health department has concentrated on Karachi. “It could be the major reason of the new case from Badin.”

The official, however, was not sure why the vaccine did not work.