Fresh polio case surfaces in Quetta
This is the third polio case in Quetta and fifth in Balochistan this year
PHOTO: PPI
QUETTA:
A minor girl was diagnosed with crippling poliovirus in Quetta on Wednesday bringing the total number of polio cases to five in Balochistan.
The poliovirus case emerged as five-year-old Gul Afshan, resident of Union Council Shadizai in Quetta district, tested positive, a spokesperson for the Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) said.
The spokesperson said the child’s parents refused to administer polio drops to the child on religious grounds. “The chronic refusal was not recorded in tally sheet prepared by the polio teams.”
Read: Polio virus detected in three month old in Balochistan
This is the third polio case in Quetta and the fifth in Balochistan during the year of 2015. The total number of polio cases reach 30 in Pakistan this year.
Meanwhile, the EOC took serious notice of the case and launched an investigation into the matter. “The EOC is closely monitoring the situation and will take every possible step to improve the quality of the campaign,” spokesperson said.
However, a senior official disclosed that an anti-polio drive has not been launched in the province since April.
Read: Dr Abdul Malik Baloch vows to eradicate polio from Balochistan
Earlier in June, the Balochistan government had decided to enact a law enabling security agencies to take action against parents and heads of educational institutions, including religious seminaries, who refuse to administer polio vaccinations to children.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries in the world which have not been able to eradicate the poliovirus while no case of poliovirus was reported in Nigeria over a year.
A minor girl was diagnosed with crippling poliovirus in Quetta on Wednesday bringing the total number of polio cases to five in Balochistan.
The poliovirus case emerged as five-year-old Gul Afshan, resident of Union Council Shadizai in Quetta district, tested positive, a spokesperson for the Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) said.
The spokesperson said the child’s parents refused to administer polio drops to the child on religious grounds. “The chronic refusal was not recorded in tally sheet prepared by the polio teams.”
Read: Polio virus detected in three month old in Balochistan
This is the third polio case in Quetta and the fifth in Balochistan during the year of 2015. The total number of polio cases reach 30 in Pakistan this year.
Meanwhile, the EOC took serious notice of the case and launched an investigation into the matter. “The EOC is closely monitoring the situation and will take every possible step to improve the quality of the campaign,” spokesperson said.
However, a senior official disclosed that an anti-polio drive has not been launched in the province since April.
Read: Dr Abdul Malik Baloch vows to eradicate polio from Balochistan
Earlier in June, the Balochistan government had decided to enact a law enabling security agencies to take action against parents and heads of educational institutions, including religious seminaries, who refuse to administer polio vaccinations to children.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries in the world which have not been able to eradicate the poliovirus while no case of poliovirus was reported in Nigeria over a year.