Crippling disease: Two new polio cases surface; tally jumps to 262

Polio virology laboratory at the National Institute of Health confirms cases

ISLAMABAD:

Two more polio cases surfaced in the country on Monday, taking the overall count to 262 victims so far in 2014. One case was reported from Swat, after a break of five years, while the other was diagnosed in Shikarpur tehsil, Sindh.

The polio virology laboratory at the National Institute of Health (NIH) confirmed the cases.

Abu Talha, aged 21 months, a resident of village Tarogay in Swat has been crippled by the disease, NIH confirmed. Moreover, a four-month old girl Sumair, resident of village Hadi Bux Bakhrani in Shikarpur, was also diagnosed positive with polio, it added.

In Swat, the last polio case was reported in 2009 and in Shikarpur in December 2010.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Federal State Minister for National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination Saira Afzal Tarar said “so far it is not known whether the parents of the affected child are residents of Swat or have moved from North Waziristan where children remained inaccessible since 2012.”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 25^th, 2014.