The 18th instance of polio virus paralysis in the nation this year occurred in North Waziristan in a three-month-old baby.
The Pakistan National Polio Laboratory at the National Institute of Health has determined that the disabled child’s paralysis started on August 25.
All instances this year, with the exception of two from Lakki Marwat, have come from North Waziristan.
In addition to four other positive samples from Bannu, Peshawar, Swat, and Lahore last week, one positive environmental sample for the poliovirus was found in Karachi.
The ancient polio “reservoir” of Karachi, which is home to people from all across Pakistan, is still listed by the program as having a high risk of wild poliovirus transmission.
As millions of people are displaced and seek safety in metropolitan areas, the humanitarian catastrophe following the historic floods will present Karachi and other areas of Pakistan with even greater challenges in the near future.
The likelihood of the poliovirus spreading increases due to the widespread human movement and the high transmission season for the disease.
The poliovirus is the primary cause of the extremely contagious disease polio, which primarily affects children under the age of five. It attacks the neurological system and might result in death or paralysis.
To read our blog on “Pakistan will receive $761 million to eradicate polio,” click here.