this marks 12th polio case in Balochistan and 15th in Pakistan for 2024
ISLAMABAD: A 23-month-old girl from Kharan district in Balochistan has died after contracting wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1), according to health officials. This tragic case represents the 12th polio incident in Balochistan and the 15th across Pakistan in 2024.
The child, a resident of Union Council South City-A in Kharan, initially developed high-grade fever and paralysis in her lower limbs and neck muscles on July 31, 2024. Her family sought treatment from a local healthcare provider before transferring her to a private hospital on August 7, where she was identified as an Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) case. Despite medical efforts, she succumbed to the illness on August 19 at a hospital in Quetta.
Officials from the Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) are currently reviewing her vaccination history, including her participation in routine immunisation with the Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV), Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV), and Supplementary Immunisation Activities (SIAs).
“This tragic case highlights the ongoing risk of polio in Pakistan, particularly in areas like Balochistan where healthcare access and vaccination coverage are limited,” a PEI official remarked. The official also pointed out that Balochistan has faced an intense outbreak of WPV1, exacerbated by disruptions to vaccination campaigns last year.
Ayesha Raza Farooq, the Prime Minister’s Focal Person on Polio Eradication, stressed the urgent need to enhance immunisation efforts. “We are collaborating with provincial teams to strategise on reaching missed children and strengthening routine immunisation,” she said. Preparations are underway for a vaccination campaign in early September, which will be coordinated with a similar effort in Afghanistan to bolster immunity across the cross-border region, as noted by Anwarul Haq, Coordinator of the National Emergency Operations Center.
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