Despite attempts at eradication, Pakistan remains one of the only three countries (Afghanistan and Nigeria) in World with continued prevalence of poliovirus. Two new cases of polio surfaced last week in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, bringing the total number of 2018’s polio cases in Pakistan to ten. Alarmingly, traces of the virus were been found in the sewage water of eight major cities including Karachi, Peshawar, Bannu, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Qilla Abdullah, Pishin and Quetta.
A 16-month-old girl belonging to Marmundu Azam area of Lakki Marwat district and a two-and-a-half-year-old boy belonging to Bajaur Agency were tested positive for the virus. According to health officials, the girl missed vaccination at birth and was given polio drops more than seven times. The boy was not administered polio drops due to refusal from his parents. The child’s father had administered the drops to both his daughters but turned down the vaccination for his son. Consequently, the child missed the vaccination during the course of his routine immunization.
The cases were added to last year’s tally as the samples were collected from the children in December 2018. The samples were sent to the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Islamabad for verification. In its report sent to the K-P Emergency Operation Centre (EOC), the NIH confirmed that the children had contracted polio. With the latest cases, the K-P Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) puts the total number of polio cases in the province at six. As per the figures forwarded by the health department, one case has been reported from district Charsadda, one from Lakki Marwat, three from Bajaur and one from district Khyber. As polio drive is scheduled from January 21, parents are being urged by authorities to immunise their children under five year age.
Published in Daily Times, January 15th 2019.
