ISLAMABAD: A 10-month-old child has died after being confirmed with the wild poliovirus in North Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Ministry of National Health Services said late on Friday.
The National Institute of Health (NIH) reported on Wednesday the boy had onset of paralysis on September 15 and suffered from disabilities in his left arm and neck, said the ministry in a statement.
This was the 20th polio case of the year. All the cases in Pakistan this year were detected in KP, with two patients from Lakki Marwat, 17 from North Waziristan and one from South Waziristan district.
The children of Pakistan need more support than ever now, Minister for Health Abdul Qadir Patel was quoted as saying in the statement.
“The current humanitarian crisis in the country has increased the risk of wild polio transmission. It is crucial to support polio eradication now to protect them from further health concerns,” the minister added.
The poliovirus has been detected outside KP, however, it has not paralysed children elsewhere in Pakistan, according to the ministry.
