Third case report of polio virus in Pakistan this year

Following the confirmation of polio virus in a one-year-old child in North Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the number of cases re...

Following the confirmation of polio virus in a one-year-old child in North Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the number of cases reported in Pakistan this year has increased to three.

 

A spokesman for the National Ministry of Health said that a third case of polio had been reported from Pakistan this year and a one-year-old boy from North Waziristan had been diagnosed with polio.

 

He said the third case of polio this year was a matter of concern.

Federal Minister for Health Abdul Qadir Patel said that not eradicating polio as a nation is a great tragedy and a single case is a great loss for us.

 

Read more: First case report of polio in Pakistan after 15 months

He directed the parents that in order to protect their children from lifelong disability, it is imperative that all children be vaccinated against polio in every campaign.

He said that efforts to eradicate polio were being intensified and emergency measures were being taken to eradicate the virus.

Abdul Qadir Patel, who is overseeing polio-related measures himself, said he visited Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after the cases were reported and met the affected families.

The federal minister will also visit other districts of the province to assess the situation.

"After the first case of polio was reported this year, we feared more cases. Since January, steps have been taken to curb the spread of the virus in the southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa," he said.

Also read: WHO appreciates Pakistan efforts to eradicate polio

He said that measures against polio were being intensified and the polio program had declared six districts of southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as susceptible to polio virus.

It may be recalled that on April 23 this year, the first case of polio after 15 months was reported in North Waziristan. This is the third case reported globally this year.

The second case of this year was also reported in the same district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

It may be recalled that on March 26, the World Health Organization (WHO) had imposed a three-month travel ban on travelers from Pakistan due to the "transmission" of the polio virus in the African state of Malawi.