Pakistan records sixth polio case

Official sources in Pakistan have reported the sixth case of poliomyelitis for the current year. This case was identified in Thatta, Sindh, increasing the provincial total to four cases since January 2025. In recent days, two additional cases were confirmed through laboratory testing by health authorities participating in the Pakistan Polio Eradication Program. These cases were in the Qambar district of Sindh and the Mandi Bahauddin district of Punjab, respectively. Local media reports indicate that 74 cases of poliomyelitis were documented in 2024, with the majority occurring in Balochistan (27), Sindh (23), and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (22). Oral vaccination of children under the age of five is the sole preventive measure for this paralytic disease, as there is currently no available treatment. Consequently, five individuals in Quetta were recently apprehended for refusing to allow the vaccination of their fifteen children against poliomyelitis, according to local sources.