Third polio case of 2024 reported

ISLAMABAD: The third polio case of the year has been reported from Killa Abdullah district of Balochistan where a girl was found infected with Wild Poliovirus 1 (WPV1), officials said on Saturday.

In addition, Wild Poliovirus 1 was also found in the environmental samples collected from Hyderabad in Sindh and Chaman and Pishin districts in Balochistan, officials in the polio eradication initiative of Pakistan said.

According to the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio at the National Institute of Health, Wild Poliovirus Type 1 (WPV1) was detected in stool samples collected from a child in Darozai union council of Killa Abdullah, who developed symptoms of paralysis on April 20. Genetic sequencing of the isolated virus is underway.

It is the third polio case in 2024 in Pakistan as the previous two polio cases were also reported from different districts of Balochistan, officials said. The Regional Reference Laboratory for polio eradication at NIH Islamabad also confirmed the detection of Type-1 Wild Poliovirus (WPV1) from the three previously infected districts. The total count of the infected districts for the year 2024 remains at 38.