Second polio case of this year surfaces in K-P

Health ministry says three-year-old child in Bannu infected

ISLAMABAD:

 

The Ministry of National Health Services on Tuesday confirmed that poliovirus had been detected in a three-year-old child in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

According to the spokesperson, this was the second polio case of this year reported from Bannu district.

According to a statement issued by the ministry, Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel expressed serious concern regarding a child being disabled for life.

“Lifelong disability can be eliminated with a vaccine,” Patel said, adding that Pakistan stood on a firmer footing against polio.

Patel said that steps were being taken to eradicate polio on a stable basis. “Since 2021, no polio case has been reported from outside South Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.”

The minister announced that the anti-polio campaign was starting from next week in K-P.

He urged parents to get their children vaccinated against poliovirus.

“A war cannot be won without the support of parents,” Patel said. “Protecting children from disabilities is our religious and moral duty.”

He said practical steps were being taken on an emergency basis to eradicate polio.