KARACHI: As the country’s record of the highest number polio cases in a year was broken, a 20-month-child from Karachi’s Bin Qasim neighbourhood was confirmed with poliovirus on Friday, bringing the tally to 19 in Sindh with 18 reported from its capital alone, officials said.

With eight new cases in the country, the year’s total surpassed the 200 mark with 202 cases while the rest of the world produced just 35 cases, officials added.

Officials in Islamabad and the provincial health department said the poliovirus crippled a 20-month-boy, identified as Sher Khan, a son of Khudadad, resident of UC-2, Illyas Goth of Bin Qasim Town.

The boy was inoculated with the polio vaccine; however, officials said he might have been affected because of lack of immunity.

They added that the department had started an investigation to confirm the exact cause of the disease.

An 18-month-old boy from Gadap was the last victim of polio confirmed just 24 hours earlier. The family of the latest case is also Pakhtun.

Published in Dawn, October 4th, 2014