Polio case detected in Karachi as 2024 tally reaches 70
Nationwide polio campaign of this year is scheduled to take place from Feb 3-9
KARACHI (Web Desk) - Pakistani health authorities reported the country’s 70th poliovirus case of 2024 on Thursday, saying that its symptoms started becoming apparent in a child last month in Karachi, the polio eradication programme said.
As per the programme, the onset of this case was on Dec 21, 2024 and the case was reported in the Karachi East district. With the latest case, the district has now reported two polio cases from 2024.
“The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health has confirmed the detection of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in a male child from Karachi East,” the program said in a statement.
As per the latest toll, out of the 70 poliovirus cases of 2024, 27 have been reported from Balochistan, 21 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 20 from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
The Pakistan Polio Programme organises several mass vaccination campaigns annually, delivering the vaccine directly to people’s doorsteps.
The health ministry said the first nationwide polio campaign of this year is scheduled to take place from Feb 3-9, urging the parents to ensure the safety of their children by welcoming the vaccinators.
