Pakistan reports 2 more polio cases of 2024

ISLAMABAD, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) — Two new polio cases have been reported from Pakistan’s southwest Balochistan province in the past week, bringing the number of cases this year in the country to 11, the Pakistani Health Ministry said Friday night.
A three-year-old child is affected in Patri area of Jhal Magsi district, while a one-and-a-half-year-old is affected by paralysis in the limbs in Maizai area in Qila Abdullah district of the province, the ministry said in a statement.
The affected child from Jhal Magsi showed symptoms of paralysis on July 5 with the isolated virus linked to a virus detected in Usta Muhammad district of Balochistan in July, said the statement.
The child from Qila Abdullah showed symptoms on June 10 and the genetic sequencing of the virus has been underway, it added.
The South Asian country has reported 11 polio cases so far this year, while the virus has been detected in 57 districts, highlighting the constant risk to children’s wellbeing, according to the statement. ■