M. Waqar Bhatti
Islamabad: A one-and-a-half-year-old malnourished boy from Union Council Sagai, Tehsil Gulistan, Killa Abdullah district, has been confirmed as Pakistan’s 65th polio case of 2024. The child, who has a history of repeated diarrheal episodes, is the seventh polio victim from Killa Abdullah and the 14th from the Quetta block this year.
Pakistan’s polio program officials revealed that the virus strain is genetically linked to an environmental sample detected in Sibi in August 2024. This connection underscores the challenges in curbing the spread of the poliovirus in the high-risk regions of Balochistan, where vaccination coverage often faces logistical and social hurdles.
The Quetta block, which includes districts like Killa Abdullah, Quetta, and Pishin, has emerged as a hotspot for polio cases in 2024, despite repeated vaccination campaigns. Officials are attributing the persistence of cases to malnutrition, poor hygiene, and limited access to healthcare services in remote areas.
Polio eradication authorities have renewed their call for parents to ensure their children receive oral polio vaccines during ongoing immunization drives. “Every missed child poses a threat not only to themselves but also to the community,” a senior health official said, emphasizing the importance of collective efforts to eradicate the crippling disease.
Efforts are underway to bolster immunization coverage and address the root causes, such as malnutrition, to protect vulnerable populations from further outbreaks.