Yet another child falls prey to polio

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan reported its seventh case of polio on Wednesday this year after a seven-month-old girl from Mir Ali, North Waziristan, was confirmed to have been paralysed by wild poliovirus.

This is the sixth case from Mir Ali. The child, who had an onset of paralysis on May 2, is experiencing paralysis in both lower limbs and left arm. "The outbreak in North Waziristan appears to be following the same pattern as witnessed in 2014 and 2019 when there was a surge in cases in the same area. We are working tirelessly to break this pattern,” said Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel.

The southern districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, namely North and South Waziristan, DI Khan, Bannu, Tank and Lakki Marwat, are at the highest risk of wild poliovirus. Bannu also reported two positive environmental samples between April and May this year, confirming that ongoing wild poliovirus transmission is not limited to North Waziristan.

“These cases are happening in the same part of the country but parents and caregivers around Pakistan must remain extremely vigilant and give their children repeated doses of polio vaccine,” added Patel.

According to preliminary investigations, the child had been paralysed in both lower limbs and left arm. “We are administering polio vaccine to children up to the age of 10 at all entry and exit points from southern KP to stop the spread ofthe virus,” said National Emergency Operations Coordinator Dr. Shahzad Baig.

All children confirmed with wild polio this year belong to North Waziristan, where more cases are expected due to high refusal rates and instances of finger-marking without vaccination during campaigns.

With this new case, the global count for wild polio in 2022 has reached eight from the endemic countries, with one case reported from Afghanistan in January.