4 polio cases confirmed in Balochistan, S Waziristan

Pushes total number of cases reported in country this year so far to 235

PESHAWAR: Four new polio cases in Balochistan and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) were confirmed by the National Institute of Health (NIH) on Friday, pushing the total number of cases reported in the country this year so far to 235.

According to a statement issued by NIH, three of the new cases were reported from Killa Abdullah in Balochistan. One case was found in samples tested on October 17 while the other two were discovered in samples tested on October 6.

The fourth case confirmed on Friday was reported from South Waziristan and was found in samples tested by NIH on October 20.

All four cases were confirmed to be poliovirus type 1 infections, the NIH statement added.

With the new confirmations, the number of cases reported from Fata stands at 151 and those reported from Balochistan now number 10.

Some 48 polio cases have been confirmed in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa this year so far. Another 23 have been confirmed in Sindh. Punjab, meanwhile, has seen three polio cases this year.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 1^st, 2014.