Poliovirus cripples two more children, total cases 67 now

Child in Tank represents fourth polio case in district this year, while Kashmore case marks second in district

By M Waqar Bhatti
December 27, 2024
A representational image showing a health worker administering polio vaccine drops to a child. — AFP/File
A representational image showing a health worker administering polio vaccine drops to a child. — AFP/File

ISLAMABAD: Wild poliovirus has paralysed two more children in Pakistan, one in Tank district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the other in Kashmore district of Sindh, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 67 this year, Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH) confirmed on Thursday.

Reports said the case in Taluka Tangwani, Dist Kashmore, was about a 20-months child given zero dose. The second case was about 3-month-old male child in Tank, KP.

The child in Tank represents the fourth polio case in the district this year, while the Kashmore case marks the second in the district.

Pakistan is struggling with a resurgence of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) this year, with the 67 cases comprising 27 from Balochistan, 19 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 19 from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.