K-P reports two new cases of polio virus

Total number of Type-2 polio cases in country rise to 42: EOC

Two fresh cases of polio Type-2 were reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) on Monday.

According to the polio Emergency Operation Centre (EOC), the cases emerged from Peshawar and South Waziristan, raising the provincial tally of Type-2 cases to 38 for the current year.

"The number of children infected with Type-2 polio has risen to 42 across the country," the EOC said.



In March, the provincial health department postponed an anti-polio campaign due to the spread of the coronavirus.

The campaign in five districts of K-P, including Charsadda, Mardan, Nowshera, Swabi and Mohmand would have targeted over 13 million children under the age of five.

According to the polio emergency operation centre, 7,455 teams were set up for the campaign.



The health department postponed the polio campaign until after the coronavirus is contained.

Polio teams tasked to innoculate children are also asked to raise awareness about precautionary and preventive measures against the coronavirus epidemic.

The vaccinators distribute pamphlets containing information about the disease, Federal Minister for Planning Asad Umar said.

Polio is a highly infectious disease mainly affecting children under the age of five. It invades the nervous system and causes paralysis or even death.

While there is no cure for polio, vaccination is the most effective way to protect children from this crippling disease. Each time a child under the age of five is vaccinated, their protection against the virus is increased.