Fresh polio virus case detected in Quetta

Four-year-old boy contracts polio virus in Pashtunabad, on the outskirts of Quetta

QUETTA: Health officials on Thursday confirmed that a four-year-old boy  has contracted the polio virus in Pashtunabad, on the outskirts of Quetta, taking the number of cases reported in Balochistan this year to four. 

The latest case has pushed the tally to 26 in the whole country. According to an official of Emergency Operation Center (EOC), the 57-month-old Sharif Ullah had not received a single dose of the polio vaccine as his parents strongly opposed it due to religious reasons.

Read: 19% more kids miss out on polio vaccine

A spokesperson for the EOC stated that "the parents were approached eight times after they refused to allow their child to get inoculated."

Further adding that the Sharif Ullah's father, Abdul Khaliq and his wife believed that polio vaccines contain pig fat and other elements which can prove to be harmful for their child in the future.

This was the second case reported in Pashtunabad while each case was reported in two disctricts, Loralai and Qila Abdullah.

Read: Polio eradication: Over 750,000 children vaccinated

The provincial government has been putting all its efforts to root out poliovirus from the province and has recently adopted a fresh strategy where parents are being arrested for refusing to administer anti-polio drops to their children.