Four new polio cases in FATA

Three cases were reported from N Waziristan, one from Khyber Agency.

PESHAWAR: Four new polio cases have been reported in the tribal areas, increasing the total number of cases in the country to 70.

Three of the reported cases were from North Waziristan Agency (NWA) while one case surfaced in Khyber Agency.

The National Institute of Health Islamabad on Thursday confirmed the four new cases in the volatile Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (Fata) which has made the region the highest contributor – with 48 cases – to the total number of polio cases from across the country.



Those reported form NWA include 36-month-old Lufia and 24-month-old Raudana, both residents of Miran who did not receive any dose of the oral polio vaccine while 24-month-old Laiba belonged from Shogi, Mirali.

The fourth case belongs to Landi Kotal tehsil of Khyber Agency where 12-month-old Afnan contracted the virus and is now paralysed. All of four affected children carry the Type-1 virus.

Both tribal agencies have had problems in reaching out to children for vaccination due to the Taliban’s ban whereas polio workers have access problems in Khyber Agency.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 29^th, 2013.