Polio's grip tightens as 6 more crippled

Three cases reported from Balochistan, two from Sindh, one from K-P

KARACHI/PESHAWAR:

Six more cases of poliovirus have been reported across the country, raising the total number of cases attributed to the disabling virus to 39 this year.

The new cases of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) were detected in Sindh, Balochistan, and K-P.

According to details from the National Institute of Health, two new polio cases were confirmed in Sindh. The latest instances of WPV1 were reported from Sanghar and Mirpurkhas.

The Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) in Sindh stated that with these two additional cases, the number of poliovirus cases in the province has now reached 12 this year.

The breakdown shows two cases each reported from Hyderabad, Keamari, and Jacobabad, while one case each has been recorded in Shikarpur, Sajawal, Sanghar, Mirpurkhas, Karachi East, and Malir.

Among the four new cases reported in K-P and Balochistan, one was identified in Lakki Marwat, K-P, and three were detected in the Pishin, Noshki, and Chaman districts of Balochistan. The children affected by poliovirus in K-P and Balochistan include two boys and two girls.

In K-P, a 30-month-old girl from Gabbar Bagh in the Union Council of SDB Betani, Lakki Marwat district, has been paralysed by the poliovirus.

Her samples were sent to the National Institute of Health in Islamabad on September 29, which confirmed the presence of the virus. This new case in K-P brings the total for the province to five this year.

In Balochistan, an 18-month-old girl from Union Council Turasha A in Pishin district has also been affected by the virus.

Additionally, a nine-month-old boy from Union Council Daman Esazai in Chaman district and a two-month-old boy from Union Council Saddar in Noshki district were also paralysed by poliovirus.

Environmental samples from all these children were sent to the National Institute of Health last month, where the virus was confirmed. Under the Pakistan Polio Program, a nationwide anti-polio campaign is set to launch from Oct 28 to Nov 3, aiming to administer polio vaccines to over 45 million children under the age of five across the country.