Informing humanitarians worldwide 24/7 — a service provided by UN OCHA

Pakistan

Two more polio cases discovered in Bajaur

Two polio cases have been found in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Bajaur area, the Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) for polio in the tribal districts confirmed on Thursday.

They said that laboratory reports of children's stool samples confirmed they had polio, adding that neither child exhibited visible indicators of polio at the time of stool collection.

According to the Health Department, the virus was confirmed in a five-year-old girl from Kut Kot Union Council and a seven-year-old boy from Largatkolay area. The department said that the girl had been administered the anti-polio vaccine seven times.

Babar Bin Atta, the prime minister's focal person for polio eradication, said that they would soon meet with the KP Governor Shah Farman to devise a strategy and take special measures for prevention of the disease.

According to Health Department officials, a three-day immunisation campaign will begin in the tribal districts on Nov 12. The campaign seeks to immunise over 300,000 children.

Five cases of polio have been discovered in KP, according to Health Department officials. Two more polio cases were confirmed in Karachi last month, while three others were reported in Balochistan's Dukki district earlier this year.

According to World Health Organization data, Pakistan is among just three countries in the world that have failed to eradicate endemic transmission of polio.

Disclaimer

DAWN Group of Newspapers
© The DAWN Group of Newspapers