In Pakistan, the Health Department has confirmed that the second case of polio in the country this year has been reported in Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to a statement issued on Wednesday by the Pakistan Polio Laboratory based in the National Institute of Health in Islamabad, ‘the presence of the virus has been confirmed in a three-year-old child.’
The statement said that ‘this is the second case reported from Bannu this year and the child showed signs of disability on July 11.’
Federal Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel has said that it is regrettable that another child will have to live with a lifelong disability due to a disease that could have been prevented with the help of a vaccine.
The official statement said that the polio virus in Pakistan is limited to seven districts of South Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Bannu, North Waziristan, Upper South Waziristan, Lower South Waziristan, Tank, DI Khan and Lakki Marwat.
‘Since 2021, no polio cases have been reported outside this area, however the virus has been detected several times in sewage samples in other districts.’
Dr Shahzad Baig, coordinator of the National Emergency Operations Center for Anti-Polio, said that anti-polio campaign is starting from next week in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “Our focus has been on buns since last year where the virus has been found in the environment several times. Inspite of our efforts, it is unfortunate that there are two children suffering from polio. However, despite these challenges, we have not given up and will continue to work tirelessly to stop the spread of polio.’
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Last year, 20 polio cases were reported in Pakistan, of which 17 were from North Waziristan, two from Lakki Marwat and one from South Waziristan.
The anti-polio campaign in Pakistan has also been affected by extremist attacks. On Tuesday, in Balochistan province of the country, the militants targeted the police officers on the security of the polio prevention campaign.
Two policemen were killed in the firing, but the two women volunteers who were part of the polio vaccination team remained safe as they were vaccinating children in a house at that time.
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