Pakistan has reported six polio cases in 2023, media reports said, as the country continues to struggle to control the disease.
A nine-month-old female child has been paralysed by poliovirus, bringing the number of cases reported this year to six, reports Dawn News.
The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH) has notified that the virus was detected in a nine-month-old child from Orakzai district, the newspaper reported.
“I am deeply saddened that this virus has robbed yet another child of the opportunity to live a healthy life and to live up to its potential,” Federal Minister for Health Dr Nadeem Jan told the newspaper.
“This is a stark reminder that until we eradicate this virus, this disease will continue to remain a persistent threat, not just to our children but children across the world,” he added.
Twenty environmental samples were collected from 12 districts which tested positive for wild poliovirus type 1.
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