ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has reported 16 polio virus cases in 2024, of which, seven cases have been detected across the country in August, Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme (PPEP) said.

According to the PPEP on June 8th, first polio virus case was reported in Quetta, provincial capital city of Balochistan, while the latest wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) case has been reported in Hyderabad city of Sindh province.

The Regional Reference Lab at the National Institute of Health has notified the 16th polio case of the year from Hyderabad district of Sindh province where the virus was found in a 29-month-old child.

This is the third polio case from Sindh this year.

Sixteen cases have been reported including 12 from Balochistan, three from Sindh and one from Punjab, while 62 districts are infected.

This year, 12 out of 16 poliovirus has are detected in Balochistan, three in Sindh province, one wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in Punjab while no poliovirus case was reported Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province.

In Balochistan province, eight out of 12 poliovirus cases are reported in Pashtun-dominated districts bordering Afghanistan as five cases are reported in district Qilla Abdullah, one in Chaman, one in district Zhob, one in Killa Saifullah, while one apiece poliovirus case was reported in Dera Bugti, Quetta Jhal Magsi and Kharan districts of the province.

In Sindh, one apiece poliovirus case was registered in Shikarpur, Karachi, Keamari, and Hyderabad districts. One poliovirus case was reported in district Chakwal of Punjab province.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024