Third polio case detected in Bannu

NIH to conduct investigation into source and transmission of virus to toddler

PESHAWAR:

The country on Wednesday saw an increase in the number of polio cases after a new case was reported in the Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The affected individual is a one-and-a-half-year-old girl who has been left crippled by the virus in the Ghora Bakka Khel union council, while the National Institute of Health Islamabad has confirmed the presence of the polio virus.

A thorough investigation into the source and transmission of the virus to the girl will be conducted. Stool samples from the affected girl have already been dispatched to the National Institute of Health Islamabad for analysis.

Last year, the country reported 20 cases of polio, with 17 of them originating solely in North Waziristan.

Authorities have expressed deep concern over the fact that all three cases reported so far this year involve children residing in the Bannu district, especially given that environmental samples from the area have once again tested positive for the presence of the poliovirus.

As of now, Pakistan has identified 34 environmental samples that have tested positive for the virus.

Remarkably, no cases of polio have been reported in areas outside of the districts of South Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since January 2021, according to the Ministry of Health.

Earlier this week, in response to the rising number of cases, the government launched a week-long anti-polio campaign across the country.

With the goal of administering the anti-polio vaccine along with a supplementary dose of vitamin A to over 40 million children, Caretaker Minister for Health Services Dr Nadeem Jan has underscored the importance of parental cooperation in ensuring that their children receive these vaccinations.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 5^th, 2023.