Year’s first polio case surfaces in Karachi

KARACHI: The first polio case of the year in Karachi surfaced on Monday with the detection of deadly virus in a 34-month old child.

The Sindh Health Hepartment confirmed that the polio virus was found in Ijaz Khan, son of Sher Ali Khan, in UC-7 of Gadap Town area. The health officials reported that the child had received two doses of polio drops during different anti-polio campaigns.

“Malnutrition was the major reason of the disease because immunity level of the child was very low,” the officials said.

The highly infectious disease affects mainly the under-five children and can cause paralysis in a matter of hours. Some cases can be fatal.

A total of 54 cases of polio were reported in the country in 2015.