ISLAMABAD: Another child in Karachi has fallen victim to Wild Poliovirus 1, bringing the total polio cases in Pakistan this year to four, according to officials from the federal Health Ministry and National Institute of Health (NIH) .
The latest case involves a 24-month-old child who has been paralyzed by Wild Poliovirus in UC Gujro, Gadap Town, District East Karachi. While virus sequencing is still ongoing, it is highly likely that the virus is genetically linked to the virus circulating in Afghanistan, as per an official from the federal health ministry.
Officials from the Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme are awaiting the genetic sequencing results to officially confirm the fourth polio case. However, officials from the Ministry of National Health Services and NIH have verified that not only has the child in Karachi’s UC Gujro been paralyzed by polio, but an environmental sample in Rawalpindi has also tested positive for the poliovirus.
Additionally, around 48 environmental samples have tested positive for Wild Poliovirus 1, indicating that the virus is now being detected in multiple cities across all four provinces of the country.
(Islamabad51_Newsdesk)
