Polio Rises in Pakistan as 12th Case Confirmed This Year
by Saeed Iqbal
SHARES
According to the National Institute of Health, another case of poliovirus has been reported in North Waziristan. During this year, the total number of reported polio cases has reached twelve. All these children affected by poliovirus belong to North Waziristan.
The recent victim of polio is a 21-month-old boy who belongs to Union Council 2 of the Mir Ali area. This boy experienced the onset of paralysis on June 8 and has been paralyzed since, in the right leg.
ALERT: Another polio case confirmed in North Waziristan. It is 12th case of this year.#Polio #BNNnewsroom pic.twitter.com/wR2TI0xAkh
— BNN Pakistan (@BNNPK) July 14, 2022
The southern districts in KPK like Dera Ismail Khan, Lakki Marwat, and North and South Waziristan are at high risk of poliovirus transmission.
Additionally, there were also two positive environmental samples in Bannu between April and May which means that this wild virus is not only limited to North Waziristan.
The government of KPK is committed to eradicating this crippling disease by any means, says KP special assistant on information Muhammad Ali Saif. In his statement on Thursday, he said the provincial government is taking great initiatives to make these districts polio-free.
In this regard, Federal Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel also issued a statement that the Polo Program of Pakistan has repeatedly launched many campaigns in KPK since the first child was found to be poliovirus paralyzed. He further said that we would continuously take measures to ensure that polio does not spread.
Polio is known as an infectious disease that only exists in third-world countries and affects children under the age of five. Poliovirus brutally attacks the nervous system and causes paralysis and even death in some cases.
There is no treatment available for this virus, the only way to protect your children from it is to get them vaccinated. The protection against polio increases each time when a child gets a vaccination. Millions of children have gotten protection through repeated immunization.
