Pakistan's polio tally hits 16 with new case in Sindh
IV Report KARACHI: Pakistan's polio tally for 2024 has risen to 16 with the confirmation of a new case in Hyderabad, Sindh, on August 22. The latest case involves a 29-month-old girl child who experienced paralysis onset on August 3. The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication in Islamabad confirmed the presence of Type-1 Wild Poliovirus (WPV1) in her stool specimen. This is the third polio case reported in Sindh this year, with 12 cases in Balochistan and one in Punjab. The detection has raised concerns, as the virus was already prevalent in Hyderabad's environment. Enhanced surveillance and remedial measures are necessary, especially since this is the first polio case reported in Hyderabad this year, according to independent observers. Hyderabad division, which is the second major division of Sindh after Karachi, had no polio case in 2023. Genetic analysis reveals that the virus found in the child is linked to a virus detected in an environmental sample fr...