Pakistan reports fourth polio case of 2024

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Saturday reported the fourth poliovirus case of the current year, ARY News reported citing sources within the Ministry of National Health.

A 2-year-old boy from Bharkan union council in Sindh’s Shikarpur district became the latest victim.

The health department official said the virus was detected in stool samples collected from a child, adding that he had developed symptoms of paralysis on May 21.

This is the fourth polio case in 2024 as Pakistan had earlier reported three cases. All of the previous three cases reported this year were from Balochistan.

Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries in the world where the poliovirus, which causes paralysis and can be a life-threatening disease, is endemic.

Last year, six polio cases were reported in the country which included four from the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province and two from the southern port city of Karachi.