QUETTA – Pakistan reported another case of polio in southwestern region neighboring Afghanistan.
Reports in local media said an 18-month-old boy from the Zhob district in Balochistan has been diagnosed with polio, marking the ninth reported case in Pakistan for 2024.
The child, who resides in the Hassan Zai Urban area, was having symptoms of the virus in recent weeks.
Dr. Malik Mukhtar Ahmed, PM’s Coordinator on Health, stated that genetic testing of the virus is ongoing. He confirmed that out of the nine cases reported this year, seven are from Balochistan.
Dr. Ahmed expressed concern about the resurgence of polio in the region, noting that the virus is present in over 50 districts, which poses a significant risk to children.
Last month, Pakistan reported two additional polio cases from Sindh and Balochistan, increasing the total number of cases in 2024 to eight. The National Institute of Health confirmed these cases, involving a two-year-old from Qila Abdullah in Balochistan and a three-year-old girl from Karachi Kemari. Symptoms in these children appeared on May 22 and June 3, respectively.
