Fifth polio case of year reported in Karachi

ISLAMABAD:

The Ministry of Health on Saturday reported the fifth polio case of the current year.

A 31-month-old child has been diagnosed with polio in Karachi's Eastern district, the ministry’s spokesperson said. He added after this case, the number of polio cases in Pakistan this year had increased to five.

The affected child belongs to Union Council Gujru, from where the fourth case of this year was also reported.

He said that polio was an opportunistic virus as it especially targeted children with low immunity, especially in areas where health facilities, nutrition, sanitation systems and vaccination rates were low.

"We are working together with our partners in the fight against polio," he added.

He said that the government was ensuring all the necessary measures on an emergency basis to eradicate polio. He said a high-quality polio campaign would be organised in high-risk areas where the virus was present.

He said that mainstream and social media should play an important role in eradicating polio from the country.