The poliovirus was detected in a child in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, taking the total number of reported polio cases in the South Asian country to nine, an official has said.
Coordinator to the Prime Minister on National Health Services Regulations and Coordination Malik Mukhtar Ahmad Bharath said Saturday that wild poliovirus type 1 was detected in samples collected from an 18-month-old child in Zhob district of the province.
The child developed symptoms of paralysis on June 28, and the genetic testing of the virus is still underway, Bharath said.
He said that out of the nine polio cases, seven cases are reported from Balochistan province, adding that the crippling virus that poses a threat to children is present in over 50 districts of the country.
