ISLAMABAD: A 23-month-old girl in Balochistan’s Kharan district was diagnosed with poliovirus a day after her death, taking the tally of this year’s cases to 15, a health official has confirmed.

Balochistan remains an epicentre of the disease, with 12 cases reported from eight districts — Dera Bugti, Chaman, Qila Abdullah, Quetta, Jhal Magsi, Zhob, Qila Saifullah and now Kharan.

The victim, a resident of Union Council South City-A in Kharan tehsil, died on August 19 at a hospital in Quetta, an official of the National Institute of Health (NIH) said.

He added that as per the parents, the child developed a high-grade fever, along with paralysis of both lower limbs and neck muscles, on July 31.

The family treated the child at home for five days and then took her to a local informal healthcare provider on Aug 4.

Three days later, on Aug 7, the child was taken to a private hospital where she was notified as a suspected case of poliovirus.

The case was investigated on the same day, and a sample was sent to the NIH. The patient had no history of intramuscular injection — usually a shot in the arm — in the last 24 hours prior to the onset of paralysis.

No travel history of the child has been reported pri­or to the onset of the virus. The child passed away on August 19, 2024, he said.

Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2024