24th case reported from Hyderabad

HYDERABAD:

Hyderabad is grappling with another polio case, as a second child has tested positive for the virus, raising alarm over the growing presence of polio in the city.

The latest case, a 29-month-old boy named Moeez Qureshi, was confirmed on Saturday, just five weeks after a similar case was reported in a female child of the same age. Both children belong to the densely populated City taluka.

In addition to the two cases, 17 environmental samples collected from the city have tested positive for the virus in the first eight months of 2024, underscoring the city's ongoing struggle with polio eradication.

Deputy Commissioner Zainul Abedin Memon stated that Moeez Qureshi, the son of Danish Qureshi, resides in Christian Colony within Town Municipal Corporation (TMC) Nerunkot.

He confirmed that the child had received polio immunisation during the most recent campaigns but noted that Moeez was underweight and possibly malnourished.

The previous case was detected on August 23 in Union Committee No. 50 in TMC Pareetabad, also in City taluka.

On Saturday, the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health in Islamabad sent a report confirming the presence of the virus in the latest case.

The boy exhibited paralysis symptoms on September 11, initially diagnosed as hypokalemia.

This marks the fifth positive polio case from Sindh in 2024 and the second from Hyderabad. Nationally, 15 cases have surfaced in Balochistan, two in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and one each in Punjab and Islamabad this year.

Despite frequent warnings from local authorities, led by DC Memon and District Health Officer Lala Jaffar Khan, against parents refusing polio immunisation for their children, punitive action remains scarce.

During this month's eight-day polio drive, 11,704 children in Hyderabad missed out on vaccination, including 791 cases of parental refusal.