Fifth Polio Case of 2024 Reported in Quetta

News Desk

Islamabad: The fifth polio case of the year was reported from Quetta, Balochistan, on Saturday. A two-year-old child developed paralysis in his legs on April 29, which progressed to his arms.

Unfortunately, the child passed away in a Karachi hospital a few weeks later. The National Institute of Health’s Regional Reference Laboratory confirmed the presence of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in samples taken from the child, his brother, and his cousin, who all lived in the same house.

The virus isolated from these samples belongs to the imported YB3A cluster of WPV1. 

“This case is a sad reminder that until we eradicate poliovirus, no child anywhere is safe from this terrible disease,” said Dr Malik Mukhtar Bharath, Coordinator to the Prime Minister on National Health Services. 

He noted that four of the five cases reported this year have been from Balochistan. The government is intensifying efforts to contain the outbreak and improve polio vaccine and routine vaccination coverage in the province to strengthen children’s immunity.

Over 50 environmental samples have tested positive for poliovirus in Balochistan this year, including 21 from Quetta.

Captain (Retd) Muhammad Anwarul Haq, Coordinator of the National Emergency Operations Centre for Polio Eradication, mentioned that a detailed investigation is underway to trace the virus’s origins and identify populations that might not have received the polio vaccine.

He assured that the Polio Programme will continue implementing campaigns and other strategies to increase vaccination rates.

This is the fifth polio case reported from Pakistan in 2024 and the first from Quetta in four years. Last year, six polio cases were reported in the country.