Pakistan: 47th polio case in Sindh raises health concerns

Sindh [Pakistan], November 9: Pakistan's 47th polio case was reported in Sindh's Ghotki district, Geo News reported, quoting a statement by the Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme.
The statement said on Friday that the lab confirmed the detection of WPV1 in a male child from Ghotki, adding that it was the first polio case from the district, Geo News reported.
"The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health has confirmed the detection of 47th Wild Poliovirus Type-1 (WPV1) case in Pakistan," said the statement.
So far, 23 cases have been reported from Balochistan, 13 from Sindh, nine from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad. Genetic sequencing of the samples collected from the child is underway, the statement added, as per Geo News.
Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus mainly affecting children under the age of five years, who are malnourished or have weak immunity because of being under-vaccinated or not vaccinated for polio and other childhood diseases. The illness invades the nervous system and causes paralysis or even death. While there is no cure for polio, vaccination is the most effective way to protect children from the disease, Geo News reported.
The 46th polio case in Pakistan was detected on Tuesday from the Qila Saifullah district of Balochistan, as per Dawn.
The case marked the second reported Wild Poliovirus Type 1 (WPV1) incidence in Qila Saifullah this year, underscoring Balochistan as the most affected province.
An official of the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication in Islamabad confirmed to Dawn that the case had been discovered in a boy. He said, "The genetic sequencing of the sample collected from the child is underway." He further added, "Balochistan is the most affected province this year," due to the protests and attacks by militants on vaccination teams in the province in previous months.
Source: Times of Oman