Eradicating Polio: First polio case in Bannu detected
As many as 49 cases of polio have been reported in the country during the past six months.
June 25, 2011
Less than a minute read
BANNU:
The first case of polio in Bannu district was reported on Thursday, even as the government aims to eradicate polio from Pakistan by the end of 2011. The government has declared 2011 as the year of polio-free Pakistan. However, according to Global Polio Eradication Initiative, as many as 49 cases of polio have been reported in the country during the past six months, while 144 confirmed cases were reported in 2010. According to District Health Officer Dr Naik Nawaz Khan, new polio cases were emerging because many parents are unwilling to get their children vaccinated. He said prominent religious scholars have removed their reservations of local people concerning anti-potent elements in polio vaccines, but certain elements were propagating against polio drops. He added that the drops were prepared under the vigilance of Muslim experts, and contained no anti-potent elements in them.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 24th, 2011.
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