ISLAMABAD: Polio has crippled another child in Pakistan, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 49 this year, health authorities reported on Thursday.
The latest case was detected in Jaffarabad, Balochistan, marking the district’s first confirmed infection and underscoring the ongoing threat of the virus in the region.
Genetic sequencing of the virus sample, conducted by the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Islamabad, revealed that it is linked to a WPV1 strain previously identified in Pishin, Balochistan, in April. This connection points to active transmission of the virus within the province.
As of now, Balochistan remains the most affected province, with 24 cases reported to date.
