Polio case

ISLAMABAD: A six-month-old infant from Thatta, Sindh, has been diagnosed with wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1), marking the fourth case from Sindh and the sixth nationwide this year, according to the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health, Islamabad. The child, a resident of Union Council Kar Shah in Ghora Bari tehsil, developed paralysis in both lower limbs on January 13, following a prolonged fever that lasted nearly two weeks. The case was notified at a local healthcare facility on February 11, and stool samples collected for testing later confirmed the presence of poliovirus. The latest detection comes as Pakistan ramps up polio vaccination efforts through nationwide and targeted immunization campaigns. Over 45 million children were vaccinated earlier this month in a countrywide campaign, while an additional drive in Quetta Division and Karachi aimed to boost immunity in nearly 0.9 million children. Another vaccination effort covering 104 union councils near the Afghan border and refugee camps recently reached over 0.6 million children.