Polio cases in the city linked to Khyber Agency

One-day immunisation campaign to be conducted in all 97 union councils.

PESHAWAR:

The last five polio cases reported from Peshawar have been genotyped and linked to the poliovirus from Khyber Agency, an official from the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Health Department told The Express Tribune.

According to the official, polio had been practically eradicated from Peshawar in June when only two cases surfaced from the city. However, with the influx of migrants from Khyber Agency, the virus has once again gathered momentum. It has spread to Peshawar and other parts of the country due to the absence of permanent polio transit points on the routes leading to Peshawar from Khyber Agency, he added.



The health department official said one polio case was reported in August, three cases surfaced in September and another case has emerged this month. However, he insisted that all these cases are due to the absence of transit points on the routes.

“In Town-III, there are 27 polio transit points whereas there are no transit points on the route from Khyber Agency,” he said, adding that the absence of infrastructure has made it difficult to vaccinate children against the virus.

According to the health department official, there are two main roads through which people can enter: Peshawar-Jamrud Road and Bara Road. Jamrud Road is used by the people of Landikotal, Jamrud and Afghanistan whereas Bara Road is used by the people of Bara in Khyber Agency. He added that the latter has become a breeding ground for poliovirus.

“Polio transit points should be established in Karkhano Market and Pishtakhara Chowk to inoculate children who are entering the city,” the official said.



Contingency plans

With the growing incidence of polio in Peshawar, measures have been taken to contain the virus. A one-day polio immunisation campaign will be launched in 97 union councils of Peshawar district. The drive is aimed at vaccinating at least 754,000 children in the city.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, District Polio Control Room Focal Person Dr Saleem Khan said a team of 4,400 lady health workers and volunteers has been recruited for the polio drive. The district administration had agreed to provide security to these health workers and has imposed a ban on motorcycle riding in the city.

K-P Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) Assistant Director Dr Kaleemullah Khan said a series of arrangements have been made to prevent poliovirus from entering the city through migration. According to Khan, EPI has also established polio transit points in Pishtakhara and Karkhano Market.

He added that it would be illogical to resolve the matter by not allowing people travelling from Afghanistan and Khyber Agency to enter the city. On the contrary, steps need to be taken to eliminate the virus.

Khan also urged the administration of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas to adopt measures to eradicate the crippling disease.

Earlier, in August, health officials had said that two polio cases from Peshawar were genotyped and linked to the poliovirus in Karachi. They had insisted that the virus had been completely eliminated from the city. Health experts also claimed the last polio victim’s virus originated from Karachi. However, it has not been confirmed if the children in Peshawar had travelled to Karachi or if someone from the city had carried the poliovirus to Peshawar.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 26^th, 2014.