DERA BUGTI : Pakistan has reported its first case of polio in 2024, with a two-and-a-half-year-old child from Balochistan’s Dera Bugti being diagnosed with the virus. The child, from Union Council No. 3 UC of Sui, Dera Bugti, tested positive for the poliovirus, genetically linked to Quetta, after samples were collected on February 22 and tested at the National Institute of Health.
Despite receiving polio vaccinations seven times during routine immunization campaigns, the child contracted the virus. This year, 46 sewage samples across the country tested positive for the poliovirus, prompting a special polio campaign in nine districts of Balochistan, starting March 24.
In 2023, Pakistan reported six polio cases. To combat the spread of the virus, a week-long nationwide anti-polio drive commenced on February 26, aiming to administer vaccine drops to over 45.8 million children under the age of five. Polio workers conducted door-to-door visits, providing children with polio drops and Vitamin A supplements to enhance immunity.
Read more: Sindh Polio campaign to begin from Monday