ISLAMABAD: Pakistani authorities have confirmed the reported of third poliovirus case of the current year, as Islamabad struggles to contain the crippling disease despite nationwide vaccination and awareness campaigns.
The latest polio case was reported from Pakistan’s southwestern Qilla Abdullah district of Balochistan province, the reports said.
The virus was detected in stool samples collected from a child in the Darozai union council of Qilla Abdullah district, the report said, adding that he had developed symptoms of paralysis on April 20.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries in the world where the poliovirus, which causes paralysis and can be a life-threatening disease, is endemic.
“It is incredibly tragic that another child has been affected by polio this year in Balochistan,” Dr. Malik Mukhtar Ahmed Bharath, coordinator to the prime minister on national health services, said.
Dr. Bharath said polio is a terrible disease that affects not only the life of the child but their family as well. He said the government was bringing vaccines to the citizens’ doorsteps, urging them to avail the opportunity.
“I urge families to understand the risk this disease poses to children and make sure that they vaccinate all their children under the age of five when the polio worker shows up to their homes,” he said.
This is the third polio case of the year reported from Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province and the first reported from Qilla Abdullah after three years.
Last year, six polio cases were reported in the country which included four from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province and two from the southern port city of Karachi.
Pakistan’s efforts to contain polio have often been met with opposition, especially in KP, where militants have carried out attacks against vaccinators and security teams guarding them.
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