Two suspected children declared polio-free
On October 22, two children from Gadap, Karachi, and Dadu, were declared positive for polio
KARACHI:
Two children from the metropolis, whose samples were sent to the National Institute of Health in Islamabad, have been declared negative for polio.
The good news emerged while doctors, activists and health workers across Pakistan were observing World Polio Day, showing their commitment to addressing the issue with all available resources and strength. The stool samples of six children suspected of having polio were sent to the laboratory in September and October. The latest results are from samples collected from an 18-month-old child from Jamshed Town and another child of the same age from Orangi Town on October 2 and October 9 respectively.
An official of the World Health Organisation said that no new polio cases will be detected in Karachi till mid-November, as no further samples had been collected to be tested for polio yet. He added that the testing itself took at least 20 to 25 days. Earlier on October 22, two children from Gadap, Karachi, and Dadu, whose samples were also tested, were declared positive for polio. The results of two more cases will be shared within a few days.
"This is a day of good news for all of us, but let the results of the two remaining cases also be declared," said Dr Durre Naz Jamal, the provincial deputy project director for the Extended Programme on Immunisation (EPI). She said that the chances of new polio cases emerging in the winter season were low, adding that her department would step up the drive in this period to immunise more and more children. "The virus is dormant in this season." With one of the new cases coming from Dadu, the EPI will also target nearby areas, including three union councils in Qambar-Shahdadkot district.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 25th, 2014.
Two children from the metropolis, whose samples were sent to the National Institute of Health in Islamabad, have been declared negative for polio.
The good news emerged while doctors, activists and health workers across Pakistan were observing World Polio Day, showing their commitment to addressing the issue with all available resources and strength. The stool samples of six children suspected of having polio were sent to the laboratory in September and October. The latest results are from samples collected from an 18-month-old child from Jamshed Town and another child of the same age from Orangi Town on October 2 and October 9 respectively.
An official of the World Health Organisation said that no new polio cases will be detected in Karachi till mid-November, as no further samples had been collected to be tested for polio yet. He added that the testing itself took at least 20 to 25 days. Earlier on October 22, two children from Gadap, Karachi, and Dadu, whose samples were also tested, were declared positive for polio. The results of two more cases will be shared within a few days.
"This is a day of good news for all of us, but let the results of the two remaining cases also be declared," said Dr Durre Naz Jamal, the provincial deputy project director for the Extended Programme on Immunisation (EPI). She said that the chances of new polio cases emerging in the winter season were low, adding that her department would step up the drive in this period to immunise more and more children. "The virus is dormant in this season." With one of the new cases coming from Dadu, the EPI will also target nearby areas, including three union councils in Qambar-Shahdadkot district.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 25th, 2014.