Pakistan reports fourth polio case in one month
All kids confirmed with wild poliovirus this year belong to North Waziristan
May 26, 2022 03:11 PM
Pakistan has reported the fourth polio case in one month with the confirmation of poliovirus in a 13-month-old child, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Thursday.
The victim child belongs to Mir Ali area of North Waziristan district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and he has been paralysed by the poliovirus.
This is the third poliovirus case from Mir Ali area during the ongoing year, and this poliovirus case has also been confirmed by the Pakistan National Polio Laboratory at the National Institute of Health (NIH).
Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel in a statement said that another child in North Waziristan had been paralysed by wild poliovirus, adding: “This 13-month-old child will live with disabilities for the rest of his life because of a virus that is entirely preventable. This is a collective loss for Pakistan.”
The health minister stated that over 99 per cent of the world was then polio-free, adding: “Our children also deserve a life free from this incurable disease.”
He urged the parents to realise the threat posed by wild poliovirus to children all over Pakistan, advising them to get their children vaccinated in the ongoing nationwide campaign being conducted in all 156 districts of the country.
It was revealed during the preliminary investigations that the child had not received any dose of oral polio vaccine.
It is also learnt that all the children confirmed with wild poliovirus this year belong to North Waziristan district.
More cases are also expected in the area due to high refusal rates and instances of finger-marking without vaccination during the campaigns.
The nationwide immunisation campaign started on May 23 and will continue across the country till May 27.