Seventh Polio Case Confirmed in Pakistan this Year
by Hamna Bano
SHARES
According to the recent reports, a seven-year-old has been confirmed to be the seventh case of the wild poliovirus this year, in Waziristan. Pakistan's health authorities have confirmed that the child got paralyzed on May 2, 2022. The early investigation revealed that the girl is paralyzed in one arm and the lower limbs.
"This is the seventh wild polio case in Pakistan this year and the sixth in Mir Ali, North Waziristan. The child had an onset of paralysis on May 2,", added authorities.
As of now, all the cases reported belonging to North Waziristan, the district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
'With the emergence of the latest case, the global count of wild #polio in 2022 has reached eight, with only one case being reported from #Afghanistan in January. This means that 87pc of the global cases have been reported from #Pakistan.'
https://t.co/qRRYwuUQDf
— Yusra Askari (@YusraSAskari) June 2, 2022
The Federal Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel said, "The outbreak in North Waziristan appears to be following the same pattern as that witnessed in 2014 and 2019 when there was a surge in cases in the same area."
Serious efforts are being put in by the health authorities as they are working tirelessly to get to the root of the issue at hand. With this slight increase in cases, healthcare professionals are seen as appealing to parents and caregivers. It has been urged to stay vigilant when it comes to the polio vaccine for children.
It has also been investigated by the health authorities that the reason behind this sudden surge is the refusal rate getting high. In some instances no finger-markings have also been observed during campaigns, resulting in misled numbers.
The coordinator at the National Emergency Operations Center said that "we are administering the polio vaccine to children up to the age of 10 at all entry and exit points from southern KP to stop the spread of the virus."
Right now, all the southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are at the highest risk of poliovirus. Majorly these include D.I Khan, Lakki Marwat, Bannu, and Tank.
