In second case from Miranshah, a 20-month-old boy was paralysed by wild polio. The child had onset of paralysis on 15 May and is suffering from disabilities in all four limbs, the Pakistan Polio Laboratory at the National Institute of Health confirmed.
“Following the first two cases in April, the polio programme took immediate steps to ring-fence this area and prevent the virus from spreading further, particularly in the historic reservoirs of Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta. Pakistan has made tremendous success against polio over the past few years, and we are taking all steps to protect the gains made by the programme,” said Federal Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel. The Minister added that it was crucial for parents to vaccinate their children every time as every dose of polio vaccine further builds immunity. “To prevent the virus from spreading across borders, Pakistan and Afghanistan had synchronized nationwide polio immunization campaigns from 23 – 27 May,” said Federal Health Secretary Dr. Fakhre Alam Irfan. “The cases are highlighting exactly where the challenges lie, and we are doing our utmost to ensure that the virus remains contained and we fight it till the end,” said National Emergency Operations Coordinator, Dr. Shahzad Baig.
This is the eighth case in Pakistan this year, with all children belonging to North Waziristan.
