Polio case emerges in Hyderabad

A six-year-old girl who had reportedly completed her immunisation against the poliovirus has been found to have contracted the crippling disease in Hyderabad.

Health officials confirmed that the child's left foot had been affected by the virus. The girl, who, resides in Tando Haider in Hyderabad rural taluka, has been detected with the CP2 strain of polio, which, according to doctors, affects children with weak immunity.

Her health records showed she had completed her polio immunisation as well as receiving preventive vaccinations against other diseases. Her father told the media that she had suffered from tuberculosis two years ago, while also contracting severe diarrhoea three months ago.

In 2019, two polio cases surfaced in Hyderabad, in Hala Naka and Latifabad Unit 11. Meanwhile, monthly environmental sampling reports of sewage samples taken from the Tulsidas pumping station have been showing the presence of the virus in the city's drainage network since January this year.

Health authorities have planned a seven-day immunisation campaign from Monday, aiming to administering the oral polio vaccine to 290,771 children under five years of age. In the last campaign, the authorities had set a target of vaccinating 339,399 children.