KARACHI, Oct 20: At a time when Pakistan is gearing up for yet another anti-polio drive (Oct 24 to 26), health authorities on Wednesday confirmed six more polio cases in Sindh, including two detected in Karachi, raising the total number of polio cases to 27 in the province and 128 in Pakistan during the current year.

The latest victims, three girls and three boys ranging in ages from 10 to 56 months, reflected badly on the quality of the previous polio drives, said an official associated with immunisation activities in the province.Karachi has so far reported eight polio cases, the highest number this year, followed by Thatta (six cases) and Badin (three cases).

According to the latest countrywide data, Balochistan topped with 53 polio cases reported this year, followed by Fata (34), Sindh (27), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (11), Punjab (two) and Gilgit-Baltistan (one case).

Among the newly affected children, the first was Sharjeel, 10 months, son of Mulazim Hussain, resident of Sikandar Goth, Gulshan-i-Iqbal Town. The child who had the onset of paralysis on Oct 10 was in all given seven doses for immunity against poliovirus.

Another child detected in Karachi belonged to Gulshan-i-Gahzi in Baldia Town, who was given only one dose under routine immunisation, while no supplementary dose was given to him during any of the polio campaign. The child, Hidayatullah, aged 15 months, son of Sadiq Rahman, had the onset of the disease on Oct 7, said a local official, adding that he could be termed a strong case of rejection of polio immunisation.

The other four polio cases confirmed on Thursday belonged to Qambar and Thatta.

Mohammad Ali, 36 months, son of Abdul Waheed, a resident of Ghareebabad Mohalla, Qambar, had received one routine and 10 additional polio doses.

Kulsoom, 56 months, daughter of Mashooq Ali, who lived in Rozi Khan Kathore village of Qambar, had received none of the routine and 10 additional doses against poliovirus.

In Thatta, Bakhtawar, daughter of Babu Magsi, aged 36 months, was reported as the fifth victim of the poliovirus in the district for this year. She lived in Talib Magsi village of Chato Chan union council and had received no routine but 10 supplementary doses for prevention against polio.

Another case from Thatta, a 10-month-old girl, Erum, daughter of Gul Hassan Mangarhar, lived in Memon Mohalla, Sujawal. She had received not a single preventive dose since birth.