A six-year-old boy from Chakwal, Punjab has been diagnosed with poliovirus, just a day after two new cases were reported in the country, bringing the total number of cases to 12.
According to a private news outlet citing a Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) official, the boy has been paralyzed by Wild Poliovirus 1, marking the first case from Punjab province. Nine cases have been reported from Balochistan, and two from Sindh. The genetic sequencing of this new case is currently underway.
The two other cases confirmed on Saturday by national PEI officials were from the districts of Jhal Magsi and Killa Abdullah in Balochistan.
“The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH) Islamabad has confirmed the detection of Type-1 Wild Poliovirus (WPV1) in the stool specimen from a 75-month-old male child from District Chakwal of Punjab province. The child experienced the onset of paralysis on July 16, 2024,” stated the PEI official.
The laboratory also confirmed cases from union council Patri in Jhal Magsi and union council Maizai in Killa Abdullah. A three-year-old child from Jhal Magsi and a 1.5-year-old child from Killa Abdullah have been paralyzed by the virus.
The Jhal Magsi case, which showed symptoms on July 5, is linked to a virus strain found in Usta Muhammad. The Killa Abdullah case, symptomatic since June 10, is under genetic analysis, according to officials from the Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) of Pakistan.
Epidemiologists point out that the polio program in Pakistan faces significant challenges, including local protests, security issues, and vaccine hesitancy. These factors have disrupted vaccination campaigns, particularly in Balochistan, where nine of this year’s cases emerged from six districts.
Additionally, WPV1 was detected again in environmental samples from four previously infected districts, including Islamabad. This brings the total count of polio-infected districts in 2024 to 58.
“The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at NIH Islamabad has confirmed the detection of WPV1 in environmental samples from Islamabad, Karachi East, Karachi Keamari, and Multan in Punjab,” stated a PEI official.
In Karachi, an environmental sample collected on July 18, 2024, from the Chakora Nala collection site was the 24th positive sample from District Karachi East this year. The isolated virus is classified as the YB3A4A + YB3A4B cluster, linked to the virus found in Pishin, Balochistan, and Hyderabad, Sindh.
In Karachi Korangi, an environmental sample collected on July 18, 2024, from the Korangi Nala collection site was the 7th positive sample from Korangi this year. The isolated virus is classified as the YB3A4B cluster and is 99.89% genetically linked to the virus detected in an environmental sample in the same district on June 13, 2024.
The environmental sample in Islamabad, collected on July 20, 2024, from the Jhangi Syedan collection site, was the fifth positive sample from Islamabad this year. The isolated virus is classified as the YB3A4A cluster and is 99.77% genetically linked to the virus detected in an environmental sample in the same district on June 3, 2024.
Similarly, in Multan, an environmental sample collected on July 9, 2024, from the Ali Town collection site was the third positive sample from District Multan this year. The isolated virus is classified as the YB3A-4A cluster and is 99.4% genetically linked to the polio case in Killa Abdullah.
