Fourth polio case emerges from K-P

PESHAWAR:

A case of a child affected by the poliovirus has been reported in the Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

This brings the total number of polio cases in the province this year to four. Pakistan's National Polio Laboratory has confirmed polio virus infection in a 22-month-old child from Union Council Morga, Tehsil Darazinda, Dera Ismail Khan district.

Samples of the child's stool were sent to the National Institute of Health in Islamabad, where detailed analysis confirmed the presence of the poliovirus. Previously, one case each had been reported in Mohmand, Tank, and Kohat districts. Thus, the total number of polio cases reported from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa this year has reached four, and the total number across the country has risen to 32.

Provincial Emergency Operations Center Deputy Coordinator Muhammad Zeeshan Khan expressed regret over the confirmation of polio in this child from Dera Ismail Khan, stating that it is deeply saddening that another child has become disabled due to the virus.