Polio-infected child from Balochistan was administered vaccine, insists father

Says 18-month-old daughter was administered drop by him every 5 months.

QUETTA: The father of an 18-month-old polio affected child has said that his daughter was infected with the virus despite being administered vaccine drops by him personally three months ago in the Qila Abdullah district of Balochistan.

There have been four campaigns in Union Council Mezai since March 2014, but polio workers visited his house once, Kadeem Khan, 22, told The Express Tribune.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and Unicef confirmed on Thursday that 18-month-old Nazu Bibi had polio virus. It was the first case after 30 months since October 2012 in the province of Balochistan.

“I never refused to administer polio drops to my only child,” Khan told The Express Tribune.

He had lived in Bilal colony near the Korangi area of Karachi for five years, where he had administered polio drops to his baby.

“I came back [to Qila Abdullah five months ago]. Three months earlier, I administered polio drops [to my child] when polio workers had visited my house,” he said.

He added that his daughter had been administered polio drops once in five months.

Khan said his daughter was running fever, and her hands and legs stopped functioning. He took her to a hospital, where doctors confirmed she has polio virus getting samples.

Khan, however, avoided blaming anyone, saying, "it happened because Allah wanted it to happen. I believe my child will recover. Earlier, my child could not move her hands and legs, but now she is [much] better,” he told The Express Tribune.

The health department has constituted a team, comprising officials of Unicef and WHO, to investigate the new case.