24-month-old child diagnosed with polio in Karachi
Pakistan
24-month-old child diagnosed with polio in Karachi
ISLAMABAD (APP) - The Ministry of Health on Saturday reported that a 24-month-old child has been diagnosed with polio in Karachi district, Sindh.
It may be mentioned here that this is the fourth polio case reported in Pakistan this year.
The government has assured that emergency measures are being taken to eradicate polio.
Meanwhile, poliovirus has been confirmed in environmental samples from four districts of Pakistan: Karachi, Rawalpindi, Chaman and Peshawar.
Genetic testing has revealed that the virus found in all the samples belongs to the poliovirus cluster in Afghanistan.
Caretaker Minister for Health Dr Nadeem Jan expressed concern over the recent surge in polio cases and environmental samples testing positive for the virus.
He said that Pakistan had the world’s most sensitive polio surveillance system, as rapid confirmation of the virus in environmental samples demonstrates that the system was working efficiently.
Dr Jan warned that the presence of viruses in the environment was a threat to every child. He said that polio was incurable and only the vaccine provided lifelong protection to children.
The minister announced that the government would organise a polio vaccination campaign in November in the areas where the virus was present. He urged parents to ensure that their children received polio drops in every campaign.
